


The Loot of a Thousand Worlds

by ArtistMow, MortallWarlock



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Malec, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, Treasure Planet AU, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-12-14 14:55:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11785530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtistMow/pseuds/ArtistMow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MortallWarlock/pseuds/MortallWarlock
Summary: One calm night, when fate decided to visit Alec Lightwood in the shape of a mysterious sphere, he had no idea that the seemingly innocent object would change his life completely. His dreams for a life of space exploration become a reality when he's thrown headfirst into a world of pirates, adventure, danger, and maybe even... Love?





	1. Changing Courses

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Bay and I have co-written a fic for the first time, and we're so excited to have the first chapter out! We both love the movie Treasure Planet so much and we wanted to make a Malec AU of it, so we decided to write one! Hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as we have enjoyed writing it <3
> 
> Comments and feedback are appreciated, and if you want to Tweet about the fic, feel free to use the hashtag #TLOTWFic   
> Our Twitter handles are @mortallwarlock and @ArtistMow ^-^
> 
> Happy adventuring!

\- PLANET MONTRESSOR -

“The story begins on the clearest of nights, when the winds of the Etherium were calm and peaceful. The great merchant ships with their cargoes of Arcturian sura crystals and gems felt safe and secure as they sailed along in space.”

“Little did they suspect that they were being pursued by…”

“Pirates!“

A gasp and a shush interrupted Alec’s story, and he smiled when he saw Jace’s excited look and Izzy hug Max with wide eyes. The three of them were on the edge of their seats, anticipating what was next, despite the fact that Alec had told them this story many, many times before.

“The ship in pursuit of the riches was owned by the most feared pirate of them all; A pitch black ship with blood red solar sails, the magnificent but terrifying ship known as-”

“EDOM!” Screamed Max, and Jace shushed him again as Izzy clapped a hand over his mouth when they heard their mother approaching their room. The siblings all scrambled into their rightful sleeping positions and lay still, hands clasped over their mouths to stifle any noises.

Maryse opened the door to her childrens’ room, and she looked suspiciously at her “sleeping” children: Alec and Jace in the bunk bed, and Izzy sharing a bed with Max. They were all still and quiet under their blankets, the soft sounds of their breathing the only noise present in the dark room.

She cast one last look at their sleeping forms before closing the door and retreating to her room at the end of the hall, a faint smile present on her face. The siblings waited in silence for their mother’s bedroom door to close. When they heard it shut, they all let out soft sighs of relief, having successfully avoided being caught.

“Gosh, Max, you just HAD to scream, didn’t you? Can’t you just listen to the story silently?” Jace hissed while climbing back down onto Alec’s bed. He crossed his legs and shook his head disapprovingly at his younger brother.

Max stuck his tongue out at Jace and blew a raspberry as he settled back into his sitting position in Izzy’s lap at the edge of Alec’s bed, and Jace couldn’t help but smile at the little boy’s response.

Alec laughed at his little brother. “Oh, I perfectly understand your enthusiasm, Max, but we have to be quiet. It’s way past curfew!” Alec was telling Max’s most favorite story of all time, and the youngest Lightwood often had trouble containing his excitement. But the little crew had to be quiet to avoid a lecture from their mother about staying up too late, especially this late after their bedtime.

“Okay,” Max huffed in agreement, and Izzy giggled while she tossled her younger brother’s hair.

“Go on, Alec,” she said with an encouraging nod, and her dark eyes sparkled with excitement.

Alec cleared his throat to get his story-hushed-voice ready, then continued. “The magnificent ship, Edom. It belonged to the notorious Captain Asmodeus, whose demonic, slit-pupiled golden-green eyes planted fear upon whoever dared to gaze into them.”

Max gulped, and Alec smirked and continued in an exaggerated manner.

“Like a Candarian Zap-Wing overtaking its prey, Asmodeus and his band of outlaws swooped in out of nowhere, ravaging their targeted ship. And then, gathering up their spoils, vanished without a trace.”

“Woah.” Alec’s siblings couldn’t help the soft exclamation that escaped from their lips, their eyes wide as they sat completely in awe of the story. Alec smiled warmly at their reactions and continued speaking.

“Asmodeus’s secret trove was never found, and the pirate himself just disappeared one day not too long after. But stories have persisted that him and the treasure remain hidden somewhere at the farthest, darkest reaches of the galaxy, stowed with riches upon riches beyond imagination, the loot of a thousand worlds…”

“Treasure Planet!” His siblings finished in hushed whispers.

“Treasure Planet,” Alec confirmed while closing the book and hiding it between the bed and the wall. Although the pages were bent from years of use and the vivid colors of the illustrations had faded, the book was still extremely important to him. His father had gifted it to him as a young boy and had read him the stories over and over, just like he was doing now with his siblings.

“How did he do it? How could he just appear and disappear? Just like that!” Jace asked, snapping his fingers to prove his point. He tugged at his blonde hair and cried out in exasperation, “It’s so confusing!”

“Most importantly, why did he disappear? How come no one knows where the planet is? Not even his crew?” Izzy frowned as she thought deeply.

Max was yawning and cuddling up next to Izzy, and the one hand that rubbed at his eyes was a dead giveaway that he was ready to sleep. Alec picked him up as his siblings continued their theories for the thousandth time, and he could hear them struggling to keep their voices down in their excited state. Alec laid Max down in bed and tucked him in, brushing back his soft hair to press a kiss to his forehead. Max gave him a sleepy smile as his eyes slowly fell shut, and within moments he was being carried off to dreamland by sleep.

“Alec, do you think someone will ever find Treasure Planet?” Alec turned around to see Jace and Izzy looking curiously at him. “Is it even real?” Izzy added as he came and joined them on his bed.

“Well, I do believe it’s real, Izzy, as real as the sun!” She smiled brightly at his response and Alec turned to Jace. “Now, as to if it’ll ever be found.. Well… If someone could find the way...” His voice trailed off and he laughed softly. “Anyhow, now it’s time to sleep.”

Jace and Izzy whined as Alec ushered them off his bed, and he chuckled.

“Why do you always act like a parent when you’re just a kid?! Lame!” Jace grunted as he climbed up the ladder to his bed on the top bunk. Alec’s eyebrows rose as he watched his younger brother ascend out of sight.

“I’m twelve years old, Jace!” Alec replied with fake exasperation.

“Still a kid!” Jace retorted back from his bed.

“Well… Someone has to be an adult,” Alec mumbled to himself as he got under his blanket.

“Good night, Alec! Good night, Jace!” Izzy whispered, not wanting to wake up Max, who was already fast asleep next to her in their shared bed.

“Good night, Izzy,” her brothers whispered back. Alec paused for a moment before saying one last thing.

“I love you guys.”

Alec’s statement was met with a few sleepy love-you’s from his siblings, who were slipping off to sleep as well. Alec smiled and tucked his arms behind his head, resting it on his hands.

As Alec laid on his back, staring at the bottom of Jace’s bed, his thoughts wandered over the story he had just finished telling. If someone ever finds the way to Treasure Planet… I won’t be able to go there with them…

Alec let out a soft sigh, thinking about how space seemed so empty to him. There was a whole galaxy out there just waiting to be explored, but he couldn’t just leave. He had responsibilities and a family to take care of, after all. As he drifted off to sleep, the last thought he had was of space turning into a giant black hole devoid of light and happiness. But in his dreams, he was soaring through the stars on a glowing spaceship, a smile on his face now that he was finally free.

\- 10 YEARS LATER -

As a 22-year-old Alec thudded down the stairs of the Lightwood Inn, he noticed that the place was thankfully empty, giving them time to prepare for the morning rush hours.

“Alec, is that you?” Maryse poked her head out of the kitchen, her black hair already escaping from the bun she had it pulled into. Her concerned face melted into relief when she saw that it was indeed her oldest child. “Oh thank God, is Max still sleeping?” She asked, and when he nodded, she said, “I need you to prepare the tables for me, hmm?”

Alec sighed, knowing that his task of setting the tables came with the promise of another long, boring day. He quickly stood up straight with proper posture, not wanting to let his mother see how the job bored him.

“Of course, Mom!” Alec replied cheerfully as he forced a smile onto his face. Maryse smiled thankfully at him before she ducked back into the kitchen, clearly in a hurry.

Alec’s smile slid off his face and he frowned at his mother’s odd behavior. He was just about to ask his mother what was wrong when he heard his sister’s voice ring out from the kitchen.

“Good morning, Alec!”

Dear God… Izzy was in the kitchen! No wonder their mom looked as terrified as Alec felt in that moment. “Good morning, Izzy!” He replied, his voice going slightly higher with fear. He loved his sister with all his heart, but she was a terrible cook. She managed to burn everything, including a pot of water that she had been boiling for pasta on one of her many kitchen disasters. Before it had happened, Alec didn’t think you could even burn water. Thankfully, it seemed like Maryse had given her daughter the simplest of tasks possible.

“Izzy dear, could you just… Stir this? Hmm? Yes, just stir. That’s it, good girl! Then I need you to start preparing the plates...” His mother’s voice drifted through the dining room from the kitchen as Alec worked his way through preparing the tables. He brought the chairs down from on top of the tables and set them up, and then started putting placemats, silverware, and fresh napkins at every seat.

“Please, Mom, don’t worry like this! I’m not that bad!” Izzy said to her mother with a laugh. Alec could picture her eye-roll in his mind and he chuckled; Yes, she truly was that bad.

They continued to work in silence, except for a few crashes and the sounds of glass breaking in the kitchen. Alec sighed, remembering how Izzy was also clumsy at times, and he grabbed the broom and went to sweep the floor. Izzy gave him a sheepish look and a small shrug of her shoulders as he eyed the shattered glasses; Didn’t she know these things were expensive?

“Oh, and Alec?” Maryse’s voice broke the silence as she walked over and gave him an envelope. “Supplies for this month will come today from the Fairchild’s farm. Make sure to give this money to Luke when he delivers them.”

Alec was about to answer when they heard a carriage pulling into a stop at the front of the inn.

“Luke?” He asked his mother with a puzzled look on his face, but Maryse looked just as confused as he was.

“I don’t think so, he would’ve come to the backdoor… Maybe an early customer?” His mother’s brows furrowed and he could see how nervous she was. It was important to Maryse to have everything completely ready before the crowds started coming in, and she hated having customers in the inn when it wasn’t fully prepared.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Alec said calmly as he touched his mother’s arm in a comforting way. Maryse looked up at him and a warm smile spread across her tired features, and she rubbed the hand her son had placed on her shoulder.

“Oh, damn it!” They heard Izzy swear from the kitchen, followed by a loud hissing noise, and Maryse hurried back into the kitchen to save breakfast from Izzy’s unintentional wrath.

Alec went and opened the front door to greet the customer, only to see that it was -

“Ragnor! You’re back already?” Alec exclaimed as he ran down the small steps to meet his friend, who was stepping down from his carriage.

Ragnor Fell was a green-skinned astronomer in his mid 30’s, with white horns that poked out from the midst of his white hair. He wore a pair of tortoise-shell glasses that were always perched on the end of his nose, adding to his already scholarly appearance. He was an old friend of the Fairchild family, which made him an old friend of the Lightwood family as well. Alec was struck with a vivid memory, distinctly remembering how he had believed Ragnor to be a dragon when he was a child.

“Oh, I actually got back from the trip a couple of days ago, lad!” Ragnor answered dismissively with a wave of his hand, which earned him a raised eyebrow and a crossed set of arms from the eldest Lightwood child.

“What?” Ragnor asked, clearly surprised at Alec’s reaction.

“Seriously, Ragnor? You’ve been back in town for a few days from your two-month exploit and didn’t think of telling us?”

“Well, as you’ve said, I was gone for two whole months and stuck in space surrounded by other people! I needed a few days of ‘me’ time, and the last thing I needed was droves of people awaiting my return here,” Ragnor answered a bit indignantly. Alec rolled his eyes at that comment; Yes, how hard it must have been to explore outer space! Alec quickly shook off his jealousy and replied, “Well, we would have sent you some some things to eat! Your home is no doubt empty of food, other than those canned goods that you keep on the back of the shelves and never actually eat.”

“Actually, I managed-”

“-By stealing from our storage! You think we didn’t notice and didn’t realize you were back?” Ragnor was cut off by a young girl with a fiery head of red hair that was coming over from the back of the carriage. A smile rested on her pretty features as she joined the pair. “Hello, Alec!” Was her simple but cheerful greeting.

Alec snorted at her storage comment and raised his hand in a little wave. “Hey, Clary.”

Ragnor rolled his eyes and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment, confirming Clary’s accusations.

“Well, no matter, I very much appreciate the basket of food you sent my way in the end, Clary. Oh, and Alec, I’ve brought the supplies from the Fairchild’s farm.”

“No Luke?” Alec asked with a frown. Ragnor’s horse Nova whinied happily when she saw him, and he made sure to rub under her chin before making his way to the rear of the carriage to help Clary. He took a few heavy boxes from her, holding them with ease before setting them down on the grass at his feet.

“Uhh, no, but I’m here? Right? He sent me in his place,” Clary answered while unloading some more boxes from the back of the carriage.

“I clearly noticed that you’re here, but aren’t you supposed to be studying for the space academy entrance exam?” Alec asked. The Idris Space Academy was the most prestigious space school in their side of the galaxy, and it was known for its notoriously difficult entrance exam. Alec knew of students who had spent days at a time in their rooms, poring over books and worksheets and any other materials they could get their hands on that might provide them with helpful knowledge. And then there were the impossible physical drills to test bodily strength. Clary was extremely smart and strong and had no reason to be worried about passing, but it seemed unlikely that she would spend hours doing delivery duty instead of studying.

Clary rolled her eyes and stood there with her hands propped on her hips. “Yes, and that’s exactly why I’m here. I need some fresh air and a major break, a break that lasts a whole day to be exact.” She turned back to the carriage and unloaded a few smaller crates from the top of the pile, her fiery curls spilling across her shoulders as she did so.

Ragnor chuckled as he unloaded a box from the driver’s seat in the front of the carriage, and Alec couldn’t help but crack a smile. He would definitely need a break if he had to study for the entrance exam too, but the chances of him ever taking it were close to none…

“Alec? Is everything alright? You don’t normally take this long,” Izzy was saying as she came through the front door with a confused look. A smile sprang onto her face at the sight of their green-skinned and red-headed friends, lighting up her beautiful features with happiness.

“Ragnor! Clary!” She ran to give Ragnor a big hug, who grunted from her weight leaning against him. “Hello, Isabelle,” Ragnor said, a bit of grumpiness creeping into his voice despite his best efforts to hide it. He wasn’t a big fan of physical contact, but he allowed it from his closest friends, and he secretly enjoyed how appreciated it made him feel.

“We’ve missed your grumpy face!” Izzy said happily as she pulled back to beam at him.

“Um… Thank you, I suppose,” Ragnor replied. He paused for a moment, then shook his head and turned his attention back to the carriage. Izzy giggled and went to hug Clary, and the redhead eagerly hugged the brunette back.

“Not that I’m unhappy to see you, but aren't you supposed to be studying?” Izzy pulled back with a raised eyebrow, and Alec cocked his head at Clary and gave her a look. Clary huffed and rolled her eyes at the both of them. “I took a break! Can’t I take a break?”

Isabelle laughed and picked up a box. “Come on inside and help me bring the supplies. Mom has a gift for you!”

“For me?” Clary asked as she picked up two of the heaviest boxes easily, despite her small frame. The perks of living on a farm your whole life included getting very strong from all the hard work, Alec mused.

“Yup… A letter from the space academy!” Isabelle answered as they made their way to the front door of the inn.

“The academy? That means… YES!” Their voices became distant and harder to hear as they entered the inn, but Alec could hear Clary’s scream of happiness just fine.

Ragnor looked at Alec with a questioning look, one white eyebrow rising on his forehead. “It’s a letter from Jace,” Alec explained as he picked up a couple of boxes. Ragnor nodded his head in understanding and murmured, “Ah-ha.”

It took a few trips back and forth from the carriage to the inn to unload all the crates and boxes, most of which Alec carried by himself. He dropped them off at the door and let Izzy transfer them into the kitchen and the storage closets. Once the carriage was empty of the shipment, Alec took the carriage around to the stables near the back door and gave Nova water and food, then entered the inn to help Izzy unload and organize their new load of supplies. Ragnor had gone to sit at his favorite spot by the window with a box sitting on the table next to him, while Clary had went upstairs to read her letter.

Alec entered the storage closet and was surprised to find Izzy missing. Not wanting to unload everything by himself, he emerged from the room and glanced around the dining room. “Please tell me she’s not in the kitchen alone, Ragnor! Breakfast barely survived her help,” Alec playfully complained to his friend.

“Haha, very funny, big brother.” Izzy was sitting with Ragnor at the table but was blocked from Alec’s view by the stairs. Having located his sister, he took a few steps forward and found himself looking directly into her fuming face. Alec gulped and prepared himself to make an apology. Ragnor was smirking as he took it all in, thoroughly amused by the sibling drama, when Maryse came through the swinging double-doors of the kitchen.

“There you go, Ragnor, your usual.” Maryse set the tray down on the table in front of him and unloaded its contents. “ A strong cup of tea and a piece of cake,” she said with a warm smile as she set the dishes in front of Ragnor. The professor raised the cup to his lips, taking a moment to smell its contents. He sighed as the sharp but pleasant smells wafted into his nose before he took a sip, and he sighed again in contentment as the delicious taste flooded his palette.

“Simply splendid, Maryse. Oh, how I’ve missed your tea in these miserable past two months.”

Maryse leaned against the next table with a pleased expression on her face, happy with the compliments she had received. “And how was it? Your trip, I mean. I do hope it was fruitful?”

Alec took a seat next to Ragnor at the table, ignoring Izzy’s death glare, and he looked at Ragnor with an expression of curiosity. He was eager to hear everything the professor had to say, and he propped his elbows up on the table so he could rest his chin in his hands.

This was Alec’s favorite part, whenever Ragnor came back from a trip. He brought with him the adventures he had been on and all the stories that came with them: New planets and their inhabitants, the secrets these new worlds held and the often dangerous journeys it took to go explore them. He and his siblings used to gather around with Clary and her best friend Simon to listen to him, and to see how passionate he was about new discoveries. Ragnor was the fuel for Alec’s fiery passion of space and adventures, which had only burned brighter as the years had passed and he was still unable to follow his dreams. Ragnor knew that, of course, and he never failed to bring Alec a new book about an interesting subject or invite the young man over to his house to study the stars.

But right now Ragnor looked anything but passionate as he dragged a hand over his face. “In one word, tedious!” He paused to take a sip from his tea before continuing. “But it could fill up a few chapters in my book, so I can’t really complain.”

“Did you have a guide with you?” Izzy asked, leaning closer to Ragnor and further out of her chair. If Ragnor had a guide with him, it meant that his expeditions would have been too dangerous to travel alone. A guide meant more danger, which almost always meant more exciting stories.

“Unfortunately, not this time.” Ragnor leaned his head on his hand and sulked, clearly still disappointed in his shortcoming.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of someone being sad about saving money; Guides are always very expensive,” Maryse observed with a raised eyebrow. Her comment made Ragnor sulk more, if that was even possible.

Alec chuckled then asked, “Then why didn’t you contact your friend? The fool-of-a-man one?”

“Oh, I wish I had, but the last time we crossed paths was something like… Six months ago?” Ragnor cocked his head to the side and shrugged at the estimation, content that it was most likely accurate.

“Did he say anything in that last letter he sent you?” Izzy asked with furrowed brows, confused at the lack of communication between Ragnor and his friend. It was unlike the professor to not keep up with his colleagues and friends, since he had always been a man of swift communication. If he received a letter, one in reply would be sent out the following morning, never late but never rushed.

“Well, he only talked about his glorious adventure to some old planet, and him assembling this- and I quote- ‘Awesome crew of badasses,’ only to arrive and find that the planet had exploded nearly 300 years ago! That idiot didn’t even bother checking on the status of the planet before departing on his journey.” Ragnor shook his head in defeat at his friend’s obvious lack of attention to detail and complete disregard for basic procedures.

“Fool-of-a-man, indeed,” Maryse murmured quietly.

“And yet you wanted him to come and accompany you, acting as your guide?” Alec asked, clearly amused by Ragnor’s tale. “If I recall, you two fought and bickered like an old married couple the whole journey the last time you went on a trip together!”

Ragnor had first told them about this adventurer years ago, and how he was very helpful for the research while unfortunately being ‘a total pain in the ass.’ After their journey together had ended, they had kept in touch by exchanging letters and meeting a handful of times away from Montressor. Oddly enough and despite all the hardship they had been through together, the two had become very good and very close friends.

“He was an enormous thorn in my side, I can tell you that, but he was a very useful person to have in the field with me. Not to mention the fact that he was actually excited about the adventure! He wasn’t just saying he was excited because he was under the pressure of the possibility of not finding anything new; I can’t stand those flimsy types of scientists.” While he spoke, Ragnor had been cutting his piece of cake into small, rectangular pieces. It was an odd habit he had formed over the years, but it was only unusual to those who didn’t know him.

“And that makes you…?” Izzy asked while smirking at him, and Ragnor stopped his operation to glance at her with a glare. “A young-hearted, adventure-thirsty, brilliant astronomer, Miss Lightwood!” Ragnor answered her question and gave her a strong nod as if to say So there! before returning his attention to his neglected cake.

His statement made them all laugh heartily, and Izzy had to grip the table to keep herself from falling off her chair. “Young-hearted, indeed,” Maryse said with a snort as she made her way back to the kitchen. Chuckling, Alec grinned as his mother tousled his raven hair as she passed him.

Ragnor was muttering into his tea, probably asking himself what he was doing here between these Lightwood children when he could be brooding alone in his home, when Max’s voice came floating down from the top of the staircase. “Good morning!”

Alec turned and a grin spread across his face when he saw his sleep-tousled little brother. “Good morning, big boy!” He said with a little wave, and Max smiled and quickly ran down the stairs. He ran to Alec and hugged him around the waist, an easier task to accomplish now that Alec was sitting down and not standing at his full, very tall height. Alec hugged him back before giving him a little push in the direction of their sister. Max rolled his eyes at his older brother, knowing that both Izzy and Maryse would fuss over him, but he went anyway.

“Let’s get you some breakfast, little man! How about pancakes?” Izzy asked as she placed a hand on his back to lead him into the kitchen, and she smiled as he whooped and shouted with glee over his soon-to-be-delicious pancake breakfast.

Alec smiled fondly as he watched his siblings vanish from his sight through the double-doors of the kitchen. Once the doors swung shut, he averted his eyes back to Ragnor, who was looking at him with a blank expression.

“What?” Alec asked, shifting in his chair uneasily. He felt uncomfortable, and he hated when he couldn’t read people. It was a talent that he had developed over the years from quietly observing the people in the inn and their agendas, and he was always able to see the hidden emotions tucked away behind a person’s false front. He was able to understand what someone was truly feeling just by looking into their eyes and reading their body language. But now, Ragnor was like a concrete wall.

Ragnor’s attention had went back to his cake, and it was a few moments before he responded to Alec’s question. “I brought you a gift,” he finally said offhandedly, clearly not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Alec just stared at him, the gears in his mind turning for a few minutes, only for him to reply cleverly with, “A what?”

“A gift, lad, although I’m pretty sure you know what a gift is.” A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Ragnor’s mouth as he wiped it with a napkin. He picked the box up off the table and held it out to Alec, nodding at it to encourage him to take it. “Open it up.”

Alec hesitated for a moment before taking the gift from Ragnor, and he placed it in his lap so he could look at it. It was a simple box, with nothing fancy or extravagant about it. It was small and light and was wrapped in the ordinary brown paper that adorned packages they received in the mail. Still, he was intrigued at what could be inside.

Alec stared at the box in his lap for a moment longer before glancing up again at Ragnor, who assured him with a gesture to open it, so Alec did. He ripped off the brown paper, dropping it to the floor beside him to discard of it. He opened the folds of the little cardboard box, and inside he found a repair piece shining back up at him. It was a power convertor piece to be exact, the same piece that the local police officers had taken from his self-built solar surfer so that it couldn’t fly again.

Alec took the power convertor piece out and carefully laid it down on the table. He glanced back in the box and found a book on mechanics, the kind that had labeled diagrams and blueprints, which would greatly aid Alec when he needed to upgrade his solar surfer. There were also a few assorted tools that he didn’t have in his collection, tools that he had been searching for for months and had never been able to find- until now.

Alec blinked a couple of times before looking up at Ragnor again, completely speechless and a little bit in shock. He knew he should say something, a thank you or at least something to fill the silence, but he couldn’t bring himself to utter any words. He didn’t have to because his gratitude was shown in his glowing face. Ragnor smiled and said, “I won’t let such a brilliant brain like yours be burned and wasted away in the kitchen.” He winked at Alec and popped the last bite of cake into his mouth with his fingers.

Alec smiled back at him, unshed tears glimmering in his eyes as he picked up the book and briefly thumbed through the pages. Alec’s second passion was mechanics, and he had proven himself to be very talented at it over the years. He had built his first solar surfer when he was only eight years old, after all, a feat that his mother still loved to talk about with utmost pride.

“Ragnor, I don’t know what to say,” Alec said to the professor, finally managing to get some words out. He picked up the power convertor and cradled it in his large hands like he was holding a priceless diamond, but the piece was so much more valuable than that. It allowed him to reroute the power from his solar surfer’s engine to the thrusters, which enabled him to accelerate and make turns. Without it, he couldn’t even get his solar surfer off the ground. His solar surfer had been stripped of the part after a run-in with the local police, a pair of overly strict robots with an endless devotion to the rules. They didn’t appreciate Alec flying around industrial areas, places where the city tested new technology and therefore off limits to the general public, which Alec found completely ridiculous. So what if he had flown through and broken a few RESTRICTED signs?

“Well, you could at least thank me!” Ragnor replied, dropping another wink at the young man as he finished the rest of his tea with a final sip.

“Oh my gosh, of course! I’m sorry, thank you Ragnor, thank you so much!” Alec grabbed the professor’s hand and shook it vigorously, his excitement threatening to spill over the edges. Ragnor wrestled his hand out of Alec’s strong grip and let out a small laugh, thoroughly amused at his eagerness.

“Yes, yes, you’re welcome. It’s my pleasure, and I do hope you’ll get your solar surfer working again soon.”

Alec smiled and opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he heard someone coming down the stairs. He turned and saw Clary practically skip down the stairs, her cheeks flushed pink and a bright smile on her face. She was clutching the letter to her chest tightly, clearly not wanting to let it go anytime soon.

Alec raised an eyebrow and asked, “I take it you’re happy with Jace’s letter?”

“Oh, it’s so wonderful! I can’t believe he’s off exploring outer space as a cadet in the Academy. And if I pass my entrance exam, soon I’ll be sailing right alongside with him.” Clary’s face turned dreamy as she no doubt thought about the possibilities of joining her lover in their Academy travels. Alec sighed quietly and felt his shoulders sag at her words. He loved to hear about Jace’s missions with the Space Academy, but they were always painful to listen to. No matter how badly he wanted to leave, he knew he was stuck on Montressor with no hope of a future outside the walls of the Lightwood Inn.

“Oh, your timing is perfect, Clary!” Ragnor called out to the redhead, and she paused on her way to the kitchen. The sound of his voice shook Alec out of his thoughts and he glanced over at Ragnor, who continued speaking. “I was just about to assure Alec that you and Izzy can help Maryse by yourselves while he goes away for a couple of hours.”

Alec looked at Ragnor with confusion written all over his face, and he was about to ask a question when Ragnor raised a hand to shut him up. It made Clary straighten out a bit, although the blush that decorated her cheeks got worse. “Of course! No problem at all Alec; You can go about your business, and don’t you worry bout a thing!” She turned around and entered the kitchen, and Alec could hear Max greeting her with giggles and laughter.

Ragnor stared at the kitchen door, frowning. “Excuse me for asking, but what type of letter was it? I’ve never seen Clary this affected.” He raised a questioning eyebrow at Alec, whose face scrunched up in disgust before answering. “A hologram letter.“

Ragnor’s eyebrows rose before realization dawned on him. “Oh my God! I didn’t need that information and visual in my life!” He slapped a palm to his forehead and shook his head in disbelief.

Alec blinked before following Ragnor’s thoughts and he laughed. “Wait, what? No! No way, knowing that my mom will get it in the mail, Jace would never- Actually on second thought, he would.” Alec groaned at his brother’s stupidity and dragged a hand down his face.

They sat like that for a while, trying to do away with the mental image that had been burned into both of their minds. Alec wondered what it would look like if someone walked in to see two green-faced gentlemen sharing a table, one with actual green skin and the other with a green complexion of disgust.

Alec cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Anyhow Ragnor, what did mean by what you told Clary?”

Ragnor shook his head as if dismissing a horrible memory, and Alec noticed that he was now a darker shade of green. “Oh, I meant what I said; You’ll be gone for a couple of hours,” he answered unhelpfully.

“Yeah, I got that part, but for what?” Alec spoke slowly, fearing that all the talk about the letter had damaged his brain. Ragnor made an exasperated noise and threw his hands up in the air.

“Getting that bloody solar surfer working again, of course! What else?” Ragnor exclaimed with a ridiculous look on his face. “Now go on, it’s early. If you go to the right places, you can sneak around with a big chance of not getting caught.” Ragnor gave Alec a pointed look that made the young man grin. “Besides, the police won’t expect to see you flying around, what with them disabling your solar surfer and all.” He raised his cup to drink from it, only to find it empty. Ragnor frowned and gave the cup a heartbroken look.

Alec laughed as he got up from his seat and called out to his sister. “Izzy! Bring more tea to Ragnor, please! I think a whole pot will do.” He heard her laughing and her reply echoed from behind the kitchen doors. “One big pot of tea for the big pouting man, coming right up!”

“I have no idea why I even bother with you Lightwoods,” Ragnor muttered while opening up his journal. Alec put his gifts back into their box and started heading to the backdoor. He paused and turned back around to ask Ragnor one final question.

“By the way, you’re still going to tell me all about your trip, right? You haven’t really said much about it yet.”

“Does reading it off paper when you get back good enough?” Ragnor called back in response, not even bothering to look up at Alec as he started on a new chapter in his book.

Alec grinned, knowing he was about to be difficult, and said, “Nope! I gotta hear it from you.”

There was a long pause and Alec could hear Ragnor take a deep breath and slowly let it out in a sigh before he muttered a response. “Oh bugger, why do I even listen to you?”

Alec laughed as he closed the door behind him and headed to his workshop next to the stables. Ragnor could complain as much as he wanted to, but Alec knew that he secretly loved telling them the stories of the adventures he had went on. He just liked being tough about it, that's all.

Alec set his box down on the work table and unloaded its contents. When he went to remove the tarp he kept over his solar surfer, he was displeased to find that some dust had snuck under the protective sheet and was now clinging to the sails.

Alec cracked his knuckles and smiled, eager to get his hands dirty after too many weeks of not working on machines. This was just what he needed to put his mind at ease and prove to himself that his skills were still perfectly in tune.

“Time to get to work.”

* * *

Alec had missed this.

Soaring across the clear blue sky with the wind in his hair and the sun on his back. Flying so high above everything that he no longer felt bound to gravity, free of rules and regulations. Going so high and so far and so fast, he felt like he was truly out in space. How close yet how far he still was.

This is the closest that I can ever get to being truly free.

Alec swerved to the left and made his way down the dirt road that cut through the farmlands, heading out of the country and into the edges of the city. His destination was the new industrial park, where the city experimented with new technology and machines that would improve the quality of ships. With a backpack loaded with pencils and notebooks slung over his shoulders, Alec needed to find a place where he could observe and do some sketches without being spotted.

Alec saw the cliffs rising up out of the horizon at him as he approached the industrial site. To dissuade nosy photographers and thieves looking to get their hands on some tech, the city had chosen the location for their newest site very carefully. It was placed directly in the middle of a cluster of cliffs, and the stone walls rose up and surrounded all sides of the site. It was impossible for anyone to get by the cliffs on foot, but all too easy for a young man on a solar surfer to slip between two of them and into the site.

Alec found a grove in the cliff closest to the area and carefully guided his solar surfer down, coming to a gentle stop on the soft grass. He quickly turned off the primary engines but left the secondary engines running, just in case he needed to make a quick getaway if he was caught.

Alec settled down onto the grass, spreading his long legs out in front of him so he could be more comfortable. He reached into his backpack and took out a pencil and his sketchbook, and he thumbed through a few full pages until he found a blank one. His hazel eyes looked up from the white paper and scanned the site, sweeping over the metal towers that glinted in the sunlight. He picked out a tall tower from a cluster of smaller ones and started sketching it, his eyes flicking up to study the structure for a few minutes before returning to the page so he could sketch for another few minutes.

Alec sketched for close to an hour, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight and the light breeze that danced across his back, keeping him refreshed. It was peaceful to be alone with his art, the only sounds coming from his pencil dragging across the paper or an occasional grinding of a gear from the industrial site.

The calm silence was suddenly broken by the piercing cry of a police siren. Alec snapped his head up from his sketchbook and quickly scanned the area below him, his eyes locking onto the two police hovercraft that were entering the site. Alec cursed under his breath, realizing that they had probably discovered him though heat sensors that he had set off when he flew between the cliffs. He jammed his stuff into his bag and slung it hurriedly over his shoulders, yanking the cords of the straps down to tighten it against his back. Then he pulled up his hoodie over his raven hair and jumped on his solar surfer, kicking the ignition pedal once to fire up the primary engines.

The secondary engines had already been running and purring like kittens, but when Alec engaged the primary engines, the surfer roared to full life with a blazing flame that fired out of the tailpipe. He took off from the cliff as fast as his surfer would allow, and with only a moment’s hesitation, started heading into the site itself instead of going for the cliffs. The police would cut him off before he even had the chance to reach the cliffs and his exit, but the situation wasn’t bad. The area was bound to have lots of twists and turns that he could use to his advantage. It was going to be dangerous, but if he stayed focused and fully in control, he could probably lose the cops.

This was going to be fun.

Alec couldn’t help the devilish smirk that spread across his face as he dropped down into the site, swerving to the left to avoid a large crane. He risked a glance over his shoulder, and his smirk deepened when he saw how far behind the police officers were. Their hovercrafts were large and bulky, designed to ram into the spacecraft of criminals to knock them out of the sky. Alec had built his solar surfer to be light, extremely fast, and almost completely aerodynamic, but still incredibly strong so that it would support his weight.

Alec turned his attention back to the path he was forging in front of him and quickly shifted to the right to avoid a tower. He darted between the tall structures, his surfer moving side to side as he steered it with lightning fast feet movements. He cursed when he heard the sirens getting louder, an unfortunate sign that the police were somehow growing closer.

Alec glanced over his shoulder again and was shocked to see the police officers in hot pursuit, following him at a distance too close for his liking. He looked forward again and saw a large gear mill turning slowly about a hundred feet in front of him. As the mill turned, its two sets of gears left a slight opening before they closed over one another again. Alec felt his pulse race as the idea popped into his head, and a crazed smile grew on his face as he committed to it.

Alec flew toward the gear mill, and when he was only a few meters away from it, slammed his right foot onto the button behind it. The solar sails immediately shut and dropped flat to the surface of the board, and Alec dropped to a crouching stance. He threw his arms down to his sides and yelled into the wind, “Come on!”

Alec flew into the gap between the gears, shrouded in darkness as he was surrounded by metal for only a few seconds. Then he was shooting out the other side of the gear mill, the metal teeth gnashing together right after him. Alec laughed loudly and released his solar sails once more, quickly grabbing onto the steering bar that was attached to them. When he looked back over his shoulder, the police were nowhere to be found. Then he heard the loud clanging sound of metal on metal, and he laughed even harder. Those idiotic robots had flown their hovercrafts right into the gear mill!

“Wooohooo!” Alec whooped loudly as he exited the site completely. He got back onto the main road and was soon on his way back to the Lightwood Inn, his heart pounding from the exhilaration he had gotten from the excitement of the chase.

In a little less than ten minutes, Alec had arrived back at the inn and was pulling into his workshop. He quickly turned off his surfer and unplugged the power convertor piece, and although it was only temporary, he couldn’t help but feel sad at the small sound of the engines dying. He threw his bag into the stables and recovered his surfer with the tarp, carefully dragging it back into its place in the corner of his workshop.

Alec sprinted to the back of the inn and entered through the kitchen window. It was very awkward to fit his long limbs and tall frame through the small window, but it had gotten much easier over the many years he had done it. As he rose to his feet in the kitchen he startled Clary badly, who looked like she was prepared to kick him in the face in self-defense. Her expression remained confused but her face relaxed when she saw it was Alec and not an intruder.

“Sorry!” Alec whispered, holding both hands up to ward off any possible attacks or questions. He reached past Clary and grabbed his apron off its hook on the wall, and he couldn’t help but chuckle as he saw her puzzled expression only deepen. Alec smudged the apron with syrup and powdered his face with flour, both ingredients having been used earlier that morning to make breakfast.

Alec hurried into the dining hall and took a tray from Izzy as he strode past her. The tray was loaded with a bowl of oatmeal, a side of bacon, and a small glass of purp juice, which Alec recognized as Mrs. Dunwoody’s usual order. Izzy started to protest, then went speechless when she saw how frantic her brother was. A small smile appeared on her face when Alec threw a wink at her over his shoulder, his small way of telling her that he was alright.

Alec acted like he normally did and went about serving the regular customers, starting with serving Mrs. Dunwoody her order. He had just started to ask her how her seven cats were doing when the front door of the inn burst open. Everyone in the restaurant looked up as the two police officers rolled into the inn on their treads, coming to a halt when they spotted Maryse, who was returning to the dining room from the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee in hand.

“Mrs. Lightwood! We have come here to arrest your son,” the first police officer said in his gravelly metallic voice. Maryse put a hand to her chest, fingers clutching at the locket she always wore, and she rubbed a thumb across it.

“What?” Maryse exclaimed, her face blank with shock. “What on earth could you want to arrest him for?”

“We believe your son was operating a solar vehicle in a restricted area about an hour ago. Moving Violation 904, Section 15, Paragraph 6,” the second officer deadpanned in response. Maryse raised an eyebrow and quickly hurried over to stand in front of the police.

“But gentlemen, that’s impossible! You disabled his solar surfer when you confiscated a part from it, and that was months ago!” She crossed her arms and stood tall to make her point.

“We do not know how he did it, but we are sure that it was your son,” the first officer continued stubbornly.

“Which, as you are aware madam, constitutes a violation of his warning that he received the first time we apprehended him, which occurred five months, seven weeks, and three days ago,” the second officer added. Alec could see his mother shift uncomfortably under their authority, and he knew it was time to step in.

“Excuse me, officers!” Alec called out from the other side of the room. The robots turned their heads and looked at the eldest Lightwood, who was making his way across the room to stand with them.

“It’s been a long time,” Alec said as he flashed a smile, “And as much as it’s going to disappoint you, I’ve been working here all morning! It is the morning rush hour, after all.” Alec propped his empty tray on his hip and pointed at several other trays full of plates waiting to be served. He bit back a grin when he noticed Ragnor’s shoulders shake with silent laughter out of the corner of his eye. Before he could speak again, Ragnor rose to his feet and held up his hand to gain the attention of the police officers.

“And you can have my word,” Ragnor said in a dignified voice as he adjusted his vest. “Alec was here the whole morning.”

“Apologies, but we don’t think that your words can be accounted for in this matter, Mr. Fell.” The first officer narrowed his digital eyes at Ragnor. “You clearly have a personal connection with the boy and could be biased.”

“Oh, my word!” Ragnor put a hand to his chest in mock-horror, which made a few customers chuckle and caused Alec to bite his cheek to keep himself from grinning.

“Then we can testify for him!” The father of a family of regulars had raised his hand and spoken up, and he was quickly followed by all of the customers saying the same things. Alec was adored by them all, for all the hard work he put in to support and take care of his family. He also did repairs for everyone, and he never charged anyone a penny unless it was a huge job, which almost never happened. He was kind and brave and caring, and the little community of the Lightwood Inn loved him dearly.

Alec could see how much it frustrated the officers, if the steam coming out of their joints was anything to go by.

“Well then, officers,” Maryse continued, her eyes sharp as knives, “Seeing that it wasn’t in fact my son, do you wish to proceed with your false accusations?” She raised a thin eyebrow at the pair of them, almost daring them to continue.

They stood there glaring at the whole inn before finally saying together, “Have a good day.” Then they wheeled their way out and closed the door behind them with a bang. The whole inn was silent, listening until they heard the officers start their hovercrafts and fly away. Once they were gone, the whole dining room exploded with laughter.

“Oh, did you see their faces?”

“Poor officers, they have absolutely no one to help them in here!”

“As if we would sit idly by and let them pin this whole mess on our Alec!”

Izzy was laughing when she came over to hug Alec, who hugged her back with one arm and chuckled. He raised his head to see his mother coming over with a disapproving look on her face.

“You should have at least told me before so I could have prepared myself!” Maryse snapped, but her eyes sparkled with laughter, so she really wasn’t that mad. Alec simply shrugged with an apologetic look on his face.

“Oh Mom, you handled it just fine! You don’t need practice,” Izzy said, and went to hug her mother, who sighed in defeat and hugged her daughter back. “I hope you got something out of this whole endeavor, at least?” Maryse asked her son with a hopeful smile. Alec nodded and replied, ”I did,” with a smile of his own. Maryse turned to look at Ragnor, who was pretending that he wasn’t eavesdropping by looking completely engrossed in writing his book.

“And I presume Ragnor is the one who gave you the missing part?” Maryse’s voice was amused and the smile on Alec’s face gave her the answer. “I will never understand that man,” Maryse said as she shook her head. “But now, Alec, we have a long day ahead of us and we need the help of every hand we have. Start by serving these plates and then take orders from Tables 6 and 10.” She patted her son’s shoulder as she passed him on her way to the kitchen, and Alec smiled at the touch.

Turning back to the bustling dining room, Alec sighed and rolled out his shoulders. It was still the morning and it had already been a long day, so the rest of it was going to be very, very long indeed.

* * *

  
Alec sighed for what must have been the millionth time that day, and he leaned his head back against the chimney. He was seated on the roof with the book that Ragnor had given him lying open in his lap. The sun had long ago sunk below the horizon and given way to inkly blue colors of night. Any straggling customers had left a while ago and the inn was closed, the only ones remaining in the inn being Clary and Ragnor. The professor was immersed in his writing and no one dared to disturb him, so everything was quiet.

The day had went by at an extremely slow pace, but not without its fair share of accidents. One family that had come in all had six arms each, and when the children threw a fit, their parents couldn’t contain them. They ended up throwing food, utensils, and everything else within their reach. One thing led to another and the whole floor, walls, and ceiling were soon covered in a variety of stains. Many of the other customers had their meals spoiled, and a particularly sticky blob of grape jelly had landed on Ragnor’s book, ruining one of his pages!

It was a complete disaster and the Lightwood family ended up closing the inn for a couple of hours to clean up and regroup. As a result, they missed the non-rush hours that consisted of smaller dinner crowds that came in for a quiet evening meal. Even though the evening customers came in much smaller groups than the breakfast crowds, the inn still lost money by not serving them at all.

Alec’s shoulders sagged from exhaustion, but he forced himself to sit up straight so he could stretch. He pulled his arms above his head and stretched them out, turning his head from side to side to crack his neck as he did so. He let himself slump back against the cool brick of the chimney and closed his eyes. He was sore all over, his arms limp from carrying heavy trays and his legs throbbing from walking and running all day. Flying his solar surfer felt like ages ago, even though he had just flown it that morning.

Alec opened his eyes again and tilted his head back so he could stare up into the clear night sky, the bright stars twinkling against the velvety midnight blue. He slowly raised a hand to the sky and waved it, his thin fingers dancing across the stars. His heart ached as he longed to be out there in outer space, soaring through the stars as he took charge of his own destiny and forged his own path.

Alec glanced to his left and looked down into the dining room through the skylight. A faint smile appeared on his face as he watched his mother bring Ragnor a fresh cup of tea from the kitchen. Ragnor accepted it with a thank you and gestured for Maryse to join him at the table, who smiled and sank into a chair. Alec sat up a little bit and glanced away from the skylight, ready to listen in to the conversation.

“I’m so sorry about your book, Ragnor,” Maryse said with a small sigh. Ragnor waved his hand in the air to dismiss her apology, clearly not very upset about the ruined page.

“It’s quite alright, don’t worry. This is my traveling copy; The updated edition of this novel is back at my house, safe and sound on its shelf,” Ragnor replied with a smile. Maryse laughed softly and pulled her hair down from its bun, letting the thick black tresses tumble down her back. She tucked a few loose strands behind her ear and looked up at Ragnor.

“Thank you for giving Alec that part for his solar surfer,” Maryse began. “I don’t think I’ve seen him that happy in months.”

“My pleasure,” Ragnor replied, smiling as he marked his page with some notes and set the book aside to fully listen to Maryse. A small smile grew on her face, but it slowly slipped away and was replaced with sadness. “Oh, Ragnor, what am I doing? What am I doing to my son?”

Ragnor looked startled when he looked up from his book and glanced at her face. “Whatever do you mean by that, Maryse?” He asked.

Maryse let out a shaky breath and answered, “He’s trapped here. When Robert left, he stepped up and became the man of the family, and he’s been filling that role ever since he was ten years old! He sacrificed his childhood so his siblings could have theirs, and he’s done nothing but work since he was a child. It’s not fair.” Maryse’s lower lip started to tremble as tears welled up in her eyes, and Ragnor pulled his chair around to her side of the table.

“Alec hides it well, but I know how unhappy he is. I’ve seen the way he looks when someone mentions the Space Academy, or the fact that Jace is already there and Clary is not far behind.” The tears started to fall down her cheeks as she continued speaking, and she wiped them away just as quickly as they came down, trying to compose herself. Maryse was never a weak woman, no matter what happened, and she was always there for her children. Alec felt his heart ache when he saw his mother in pain over him.

“He wants to leave, but he feels like he can’t. He’s so selfless, Ragnor, that he would feel like he’s abandoning his family, even though he’s done the most for it,” Maryse said, and Ragnor nodded in agreement. “And I feel like I’m to blame; I haven’t done anything to take pressure off him, I haven’t remarried to give my children a new father, or-”

“Maryse.” Ragnor said her name quietly and cut her off, but she stopped talking and listened.

“I think you have greater concerns to worry about than how wonderful your son is,” Ragnor said, attempting to bring some humor into the conversation to lighten the mood. Maryse laughed and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, sniffing a little as she did so.

“Alec will realize that he needs to find his own way, even if that means leaving the inn behind,” Ragnor said wisely. “And if he doesn’t come to that conclusion on his own, something will come along and give him the push he needs. And most importantly,” Ragnor paused and awkwardly patted Maryse on the shoulder, “Everything is going to be okay.”

Alec blinked a few times and dragged a hand down his face, and was surprised to find his cheeks were wet with tears. Everything he had just heard was completely true. He wanted to leave, but he had to stay and take care of his family. He was on the ground looking at the stars, but he wanted to be among them.

He was trapped, and he couldn’t escape.

Alec didn’t know how much time passed after that. He sat there with his thoughts swirling around his head as he stared at everything and nothing at the same time, when suddenly, he heard the sounds of an engine and several explosions to his right.

He quickly rose to his feet, alarmed and startled to see a spacecraft falling from the sky. It would’ve looked like a comet or shooting star from afar, but as it got closer he could see it was struggling to stay in the air. The flaming ship was shaking and shuddering as it crashed to a landing on the docks of the inn.

The sound of the impact snapped Alec onto action and he quickly scrambled down from the roof. He took off running down the road as fast as he could, desperate to get to the spacecraft before it was too late.

The ship was on fire and burning from the outside in, and Alec knew that he had to work fast. He tried to open the doors, but quickly realized that they could only be opened from the inside. He banged frantically on the doors and shouted, “Hey, mister! Can you hear me? The doors are jammed and you have to open them!” When there was no reply, Alec banged louder and faster.

“MISTER!”

The door suddenly opened with a hiss and a tall, old man with pale skin and red eyes emerged in a cloud of smoke. He coughed and held his long-fingered hand out to Alec, who quickly helped him up to his feet. Alec noticed that he was cradling a sphere-like shape wrapped in old rags in the crook of his elbow.

“What happened, sir?” Alec looked at the man, who was struggling to catch his breath, and then back at the spacecraft. “Is there is anyone else in there?” Alec was worried that there were other injured people who needed help.

The man coughed, his breathing shallow, and Alec noticed blood dripping from his mouth. “No,” the man rasped, “It’s only me, but they’re coming! Those golden-green eyes of the devil, staring right into your very soul.” He craned his head up to look Alec straight in the eyes, his teeth like jagged nails. Alec shook his head slightly, unsure of what the man meant. “Who’s coming?” He whispered, and he felt terror start to flicker up inside of him.

There was a loud bang from the spacecraft and Alec ducked away, reflexively shielding the man with his arm. He looked over at the crash site and saw that the ship was done for, its metallic hull blackening as the fire continued to rage and curl up the sides.

“Come on, sir, we need to get you inside and away from here,” Alec said firmly, but the man only laughed dryly. “Oh, it’s too late for old Azazel, too late.” The man's laughter escalated and he cackled loudly until he doubled over into a coughing fit, blood spewing from his mouth.

Alec frowned as he pulled the man's arm over his shoulders and held him by the waist to keep him standing. He must have hit his head pretty hard, Alec thought to himself. Allowing the man to lean his full weight on him, Alec started the slow, tripping journey back to the inn.

The front door opened before they even reached the steps. “Alec! What happened? Who is that?” Questions fired from Izzy’s mouth, her face alarmed as she quickly made her way to them.

“His ship crashed and he’s hurt, Izzy, he needs help,” Alec answered, practically having to drag the man up the steps to the front door. Izzy went to grab his other arm, the one that cradled the sphere, but he jerked away from her. She frowned at the reaction and looked at Alec, who shook his head. “Can you go in and get a table ready so we can lay him down?” She nodded and hurried inside, and Alec could hear the commotion inside as he took the last final steps to the door.

Maryse was helping Izzy remove the chairs from the closest table as Ragnor came over, a concerned frown creasing his face like he was trying not to voice his opinion about the current situation. He did lend a hand by helping to lift the man onto the table, who groaned loudly when his back touched the table. Clary came running down the stairs, eyes wide with alarm and carrying Max protectively in her arms. “What happened? I heard a crash,” she asked, and she gasped when she saw the man on the table. Maryse hurried over to take Max from her and went into the kitchen, pressing a kiss to the forehead of her youngest child as she left the dining room.

“His spacecraft crashed at our docks,” Alec explained breathlessly, “And he’s badly injured.” He ran to get the first aid kit from the storage closet, and the man continued to rant and rave.

“That wicked-” The man coughed, “-Flesh-eating-” He took a shaky breath, “-Woman!” The man was blabbering on and on, and he sounded completely insane.

“Alec, what the hell is he talking about?” Izzy asked as she came from the kitchen, a bucket of hot water and towels in her hands.

“I don’t know, Izzy!” Alec answered as he emerged from storage with the first aid kit, and he quickly got to the table.

“Hallucinating, perhaps! It looks like he hasn’t been eating right, and has probably had too much smoke in his lungs, by the sound of it.” Ragnor stood there with his arms crossed, clearly in deep thought as he stared at the old man.

Alec looked at him in disbelief. “Well? Aren’t you going to help me?” He asked the professor while Izzy sat the bowl at one end of the table.

“Alec, you know that I’m not exactly a ‘doctor.’” Ragnor gave him a pointed look. “Not that kind of doctor, at least, and either way, it doesn't matter right now.” He glanced back down at the man with a grim look, who's breathing was getting shallower and more ragged by the second.

“What? What the hell is that supposed to mea-ahhhhh!” Alec was startled as a pale, wrinkled hand grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him down. Alec stumbled under the man’s surprisingly strong grip and was forced down onto his knees. Clutching at his collar, the man pulled Alec’s face close to his.

Izzy, Clary, and Ragnor all went tense with alarm, and Alec went still.

“It’s too late for me, lad,” he rasped out, and he thrust the sphere bundled in rags into Alec’s chest, who clumsily caught it and kept it from falling. “They’re coming! They mustn't have it, none of it!” Alec looked down at the bundle pressed to his chest with his arms, then back up at the old man.

“What? Who-”

“Beware those devilish eyes.” The man was now struggling to breathe as he choked on his words. He patted the bundle in Alec’s arms and said, ”They can’t find this! Keep it safe! If they had this, they could find… it all…”

The man let out a ragged breath and slowly collapsed back onto the table, his hand going slack and releasing Alec from his grip. His eyes slid closed and he didn’t move again.

Dead.

Alec looked up between Ragnor’s unreadable expression and Izzy’s pale one, feeling Clary’s eyes behind him and knowing that she was also looking at the scene in shock. He was breathing hard and he didn’t even know why, or why the old man’s cryptic message was making him so terrified.

“Alec-” Izzy called out softly, but her voice was cut off by a sudden loud noise outside; The sound of a spaceship landing.

He looked in alarm at the door, and Clary slowly went to the window. She rolled a small strip of the shutter down to peak out, and Alec held his breath as her body went tense with a jolt.

“Alec? Isabelle? What happened?” Maryse emerged from the kitchen, and upon seeing the dead man in her inn, she gasped and hid Max’s face in her shoulder.

Clary turned to look at Alec with panicked eyes, and he understood what he needed to do. “Mom, we need to go,” he said quietly, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. He rose to his feet and made his way to his mother, who looked at him with a terrified expression.

“What? Whe-” Alec cut her off as he grabbed her arm and started leading her out of the dining room “We need to go, NOW!”

“The back door, Nova and my carriage, quietly now!” Ragnor instructed, and everyone jumped into action. They all ran as fast as they could without making a sound, through the backdoor to the stables.

Ragnor was fastening Nova to the carriage with a quiet, quick efficiency that had only been maintained by years of practice, as Alec helped the others into the carriage.

“Mommy, what’s happening?” Max’s voice was shaky and his body was trembling, his little face confused as he looked around at everyone’s faces. Alec swallowed and tried to smile as best as he could, knowing his little brother needed comfort.

“Hey, buddy!” Alec ruffled his hair affectionately. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay.” He looked into his little brother’s eyes and placed his large hands on his small shoulders. “I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” Max sniffed, close to the verge of tears, but nodded.

Ragnor got into the driver’s seat with Alec when they heard the front door burst open, and angry shouts echoed through the inn. Taking advantage of the loud commotion, Ragnor ushered Nova into a gallop with a shout, and everyone in the carriage jerked back in surprised at the sudden burst of speed; Ragnor was trying to get around the hill in time so that they wouldn’t be spotted if anyone came out the back door.

The sounds of angry shouting, the loud smashing of glass, and the cracking of wood as it broke carried over the wind, and Alec knew that the inn was being completely ransacked.

Then there was a loud explosion, causing everyone to jump in surprise. Alec whipped his head back from the side of the carriage to see the Lightwood Inn- his home, their business, their safe place- burning like a torch. The fire raged bright against the black night, the flames reaching high into the sky as if they were trying to escape the horrors they caused.

Alec heard his mother’s strangled cry of surprise, followed by an angry yell from his sister and a loud gasp from Clary. He looked back at them to see Max being hugged tightly to her chest by his mother, tears glimmering in her dark eyes. Clary was hugging Izzy from behind, who was watching their home burn to the ground as silent tears ran down her face.

Alec took a shaky breath and turned back around, sitting properly in his seat as Ragnor told them to hold on for the bumpy road ahead. He felt numb with the knowledge that their home had been destroyed forever, then angry as he realized he wanted to know who had done the horrible deed.

Alec hadn’t realized that he had been holding the bundle in his hands all this time. He settled it in his lap and unwrapped it from its rags, and a shiny golden sphere winked up at him. It was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand and was covered in strange markings and indentations, but it was too dark to see it properly. What was so important about this object that the old man Azazel had given his life to protect it? Who were the people that had attacked the inn? Surely they had been looking for this sphere, but why? Questions ran through his head and grief pounded in his heart.

Alec sat there in silence the whole way to Ragnor’s house, rolling the sphere around in his palm and thinking. He was grateful for the darkness of the night because it masked his face and the single angry tear that escaped his eye without permission. I need to be strong, he thought to himself as he listened to the pained sobs of his mother, sister, and brother. He knew that their life was about to change forever.

Alec just wanted to know why.


	2. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Ragnor board the ship to begin their journey, but not everyone is thrilled to see them.

\- PLANET MONTRESSOR -

Halfway through their journey down the road, Clary asked to be dropped off at her farm to ensure the safety of her family and to take any necessary precautions in case the raiders that had attacked the inn decided to go further. She also mentioned that her parents had probably seen the Lightwood Inn alight from afar, and she needed to assure them that they were all unharmed.

Before Clary got out of the carriage, she whispered to Alec who and what she had seen. After hearing her hushed words in his ear, Alec had stared at her, his face hardened with determination before he nodded in understanding. She squeezed his shoulder and assured him that she and her family would come over to Ragnor’s house as soon as possible.

They arrived at Ragnor’s large house a short while later, all of them emotionally and physically exhausted. The professor ushered them in through the front door quickly, black eyes sweeping the night sky as if he expected to see a ship swooping down from out of the darkness. Once everyone was safely inside, Ragnor made sure all the windows and doors were locked up tight.

A little while later, everyone was seated in Ragnor’s study with a cup of hot tea in their hand. Max had quickly fallen asleep, completely exhausted from the day’s events, and Maryse had tucked him into a bed in the closest guest room to the study. Maryse was sitting in a large armchair by the fire, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, while Alec and Izzy were curled up on opposite ends of a couch. Ragnor was leaning against a table, thumb rubbing across his chin as he was lost in deep thought.

No one had spoken yet, and everyone was still lost in the events of the past two hours. Alec stared into the depths of the fireplace, listening to the flames crackle as he watched the logs burn, and he was struck with the image of the inn burning to the ground. He shook his head and dropped his gaze to his lap, his head dipping as he examined the worn material of his trousers.

Finally, it was Ragnor who cleared his throat and started speaking. “Well, first things first, if we’re going to figure out what happened, we need to collect some known data… So who attacked the inn?” Alec lifted his head to see Ragnor staring at him. “I believe Clary told you, no?” The professor asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Ragnor was trying to take their heads out of their grief and get them busy with something else, and Alec welcomed the distraction.

“Pirates,” Alec rasped, his voice rough from hours of disuse and fear. He cleared his throat before taking another sip of his tea, grateful for its warmth. 

Izzy gasped and Maryse just stared at them both with disbelief. “Pirates? What business would pirates have here in this part of the galaxy? It doesn't make any sense!” The Lightwood mother had a point, because Montressor was an older, mostly industrial planet, full of material mines and farms. It wasn’t exactly the type of place that would draw in pirates. 

Alec looked to his right at the sphere sitting innocently on the table. He had unraveled the rags earlier, revealing a golden sphere with strange carvings, symbols, and circles covering the entirety of its shiny surface.

Ragnor noticed his gaze and asked, “Did that man tell you anything before you got him into the inn?”

“He sure seemed very determined to hide it, whatever that is,” Izzy muttered, drinking her now-warm tea in big gulps. Alec nodded and started speaking, his words slow as he thought about what had happened.

“I don’t know, he… He just… Just kept talking about the devilish golden-green, slit-pupiled eyes, that it mustn't be found, and about that flesh-eater woman… But it doesn't make sense because… Because the description… Those eyes-”

“Those are Captain Asmodeus’s eyes,” Ragnor confirmed with a nod.

“Asmodeus? The notorious Captain Asmodeus?” Izzy asked, and her empty cup tumbled out of her hand and fell to the carpet with a soft thud.

“But… That’s impossible!” Maryse exclaimed.

“Certainly,” Ragnor spoke in a matter-of-fact voice, “Captain Asmodeus is surely dead by now, despite his species’ long lifespan, although it’s long overdue.” He gave them a tight smile.

Alec couldn’t stop the gears in his brain from turning, trying to think and trying to make sense of everything when he suddenly remembered something. “There’s something else!” Ragnor turned to look at him, one eyebrow raising in a questioning manner.

“His name, he… He said his name was… Azazel? Does it ring a bell?” Alec trailed off when he saw the look on Ragnor’s face, who had turned a much paler shade of green.

“Are you sure, Alexander?” Alec blinked at the use of his full name and nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.” Ragnor hurried off to search his shelves while muttering and cursing to himself under his breath. “Why? Who is he?” Alec tried to get his attention, but Ragnor seemed unaware and kept on searching.

“Ragnor!” Izzy cried out, surprising them all. She looked stressed, but it seemed to snap Ragnor back to attention. He stopped and turned around with an old, thin book open in his hand. He was blinking rapidly as if he was trying to make sense of something, and Alec could relate to him in that moment.

Ragnor stood tall and cleared his throat. “Well, it seems we weren’t that far from the truth.” He closed the book with a snap. “Azazel Bones is… Well, was… Captain Asmodeus’s first mate.”

The weight of the possibilities and meaning lingered heavily in the silence that followed, and danger was looming in the air. Each one of them quickly became lost in their own thoughts and theories and questions.

“But...” Maryse started slowly, “That still doesn't explain what that thing is.” She nodded at the sphere and wrapped the blanket more tightly around herself.

Alec picked it up and inspected it closely, letting his fingers run over its surface so he could feel the dips and bumps of the carvings, thinking about it very carefully.

“Those symbols… It looks like a very old language from an ancient civilization, although it’s unlike anything I've ever seen before, so it might take some time for me to decipher it.” Ragnor stood in the middle of his study with a frown on his face, one arm hugging his torso and the other under his chin, looking at the sphere in Alec’s hand. “It will also take time to determine for certain which lost language it is… And we don’t have that time.”

“So what are we going to do with it?” Izzy asked. “It seems dangerous to keep it here, right?” Her dark eyes skimmed over the three of them and Ragnor sighed.

Alec hadn’t stopped running his long fingers over the sphere since he had picked it up. Lost in thought, he unconsciously added pressure to his hold, and pressed on one of the small circles on the sphere. Startled, he stared at the tip of his finger pressed into the circle, which was some sort of button. It's a lock, he realized.

He inspected it closer in a new light now that he knew it was a type of mechanism; Complicated, yet it could in fact be… Simple.

Alec could hear the others argue and talk but it was faint. He was completely focused on turning the sphere, following the lines, pressing the keys and screwing the sphere. He tried a few times, trying a few different combinations, when suddenly there was a green light shining through the gaps that were getting wider and wider.

Then suddenly the sphere’s outer shell flew in different directions, and the light escaped. Then in the blink of an eye, the shell reassembled in Alec's hands.

The others gasped at the sudden movement and the green light that followed, spilling between the gaps of the sphere and filling the room with lines.

Izzy and Maryse rose to their feet in alarm as a glowing grid covered the floor, walls, and ceiling of the study. 

“What is this?” Maryse asked in a tight voice that wavered with shock.

“Holographic projector?” Alec mumbled as images started to form in 3D, showing-

“Is that… Is that the spaceport?” Izzy pointed at the holographic version of the crescent spaceport, which was located right near-

“And that is Montressor!” Ragnor pointed at their planet hanging in the air near the spaceport. “This is a map,” he deduced. He reached out and touched the planet Montressor with one finger.

Lines suddenly started to flow in and out of Montressor and the holograms began to move as if they were on a ride, the lines connecting to planets that were further and further away from Montressor.

“That’s the Magellanic Cloud,” Ragnor pointed out, “And the Coral Galaxy.” His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out the path the map was laying out.

One of the planets hit Izzy and burst into a cloud of green dust, then reassembled before it disappeared as it zoomed past. “That’s the Cygnus Cross, and there is the Kerian Abyss, and that’s…” Ragnor stammered and his voice trailed off as everything else vanished except for one remaining planet. As the size of it grew bigger, there in the middle of his study, it was unmistakably recognizable… It was… 

“Treasure Planet.” Alec couldn’t believe his eyes as he gazed up at the glowing hologram. 

“That’s impossible,” Maryse said, her voice hushed in awe.

“That’s Treasure Planet!” Alec spoke in a louder voice, unable to hide his excitement.

“Asmodeus’s trove? The loot of a thousand worlds?” Ragnor whispered. 

No one spoke as they all stared at it, and suddenly Ragnor jumped into action and went to draw and secure the curtains. He turned to Alec as he did so and hissed, “Close it! Turn it off!” Alec clumsily started working on the sphere that he had been holding loosely. “Now, Alec!” Ragnor urged him.

Alec twisted the sphere shut, and the green light, grid lines, and the planet were sucked right back into the sphere, the spell breaking completely. 

“Oh my God!” Izzy exclaimed in disbelief. “This is really it! The map to wealth beyond imagination! The map to unravel the mystery of the greatest pirate trove of all time!”

Alec was breathing hard with excitement, adrenaline cruising under his skin and coursing through his veins, his eyes alight as he stared at the map clenched tightly in his hand. He looked up at Ragnor, who stood there gazing at the sphere as he mumbled, “Whoever brings the treasure back… Would hold an eternal place atop the pantheon of explorers.” There was a spark in his black eyes, one that Alec knew all too well; The excitement at the possibility of a new adventure.

Alec turned with a grin to look at his mother, but it quickly faded. Her face was ashen and she looked terrified, gripping the blanket tightly around her shoulders.

“Mom?” He asked, and when she didn’t answer, he prompted her again. “Mom… This is the answer to all of our problems!” He walked over to her seated form and knelt into a crouch, slipping the sphere into his jacket pocket so he could hold her hands tightly in his large ones. “Don’t you remember all those stories? Now that we know they’re real, the planet exists and is out there waiting-”

“But Alec, this is suicide!” Maryse cut her son off and shook her head. “You saw what those pirates did! They could be anywhere looking for the map and they will do anything necessary to get to it… I can’t let you walk into your death like that! Ragnor, please tell him that it is impossible and completely out of the question!”

“Absolutely preposterous! It is stupid to even think about going on a wild adventure through space on your own.” Ragnor spoke in a monotone voice with a calm face, and Maryse looked relieved.

“Finally, someone who makes sense!” Maryse pulled one hand out of her son’s grip and pointed to Ragnor. Alec looked over at the professor, completely puzzled and feeling slightly betrayed. Surely Ragnor wasn’t about to give up the opportunity of a lifetime!

“That is why, Alec, I’m going with you,” Ragnor said as an afterthought, a smug smile growing on his face. 

“RAGNOR!” Maryse exclaimed in indignation, her face screwing up with anger.

“Don’t worry, Maryse! This isn’t my first dangerous exploit by any means, and I promise to look after Alec.” He hurried over to his desk, grabbed a pen and paper, and started writing a letter. “And don’t worry about those pirates! Everything will be done in secrecy, so no one but a select few will know what this journey is really about.” Maryse looked like she was about to throw a chair at Ragnor, and she might have done just that if it wasn’t for Alec squeezing her hand to calm her down. Ragnor went on, completely unaware of Maryse’s death glare.

“I’ll commission a ship and send word to my adventurer friend to find me a trustworthy crew. Hmmmm, as for a captain, I think I know who it would be… I just hope that she’s okay with taking this journey with us.” He mumbled the last part under his breath and flashed his eyebrows up once.

“Wait, didn’t you say earlier that you haven’t heard from him in six months? How are you supposed to find him?” Izzy pointed out.

“Oh, he told me a while ago that if there was ever something extremely important, I could send word of it to the Spiral Labyrinth Bookstore at the spaceport, and ask Miss Grey to deliver it to him; Somehow they would know where he is.” Maryse looked like she was about to snap when he added, “And yes, I trust them because Magnus trusts them.”

Magnus… Alec realized with a start that he had never really known the adventurer’s name; Ragnor always seemed to refer to him with one ridiculous nickname after another. Maryse shook her head and started to speak again.

“There is no way that I’m going to let my son go-”

“Mom, with that treasure we could rebuild the Lightwood Inn a thousand times over if we wanted!” Alec rose to his feet and pulled the sphere out of his pocket, holding it up eagerly for her to see. “You won’t have to work yourself to the bone every day, my siblings will have everything that they want, and everything that they need.” His voice went softer as he continued, “I know you’re afraid that I’ll leave and not return. You’re afraid that you might not recover from this happening a second time, but Mom… This is my chance to make it all up to you. I won’t be him because I am not him.” His hazel eyes stared hard into her watery brown ones. “I’ll make you proud and I just… I need this.” He crouched down again and squeezed her hands, and Izzy came over to put a hand on her mother’s shoulder.

“Maryse, if I may have a word?” Ragnor gestured for her to come closer so they could speak privately, and Maryse stood and walked over to join Ragnor at his desk. “You said it yourself earlier today.” He put a hand on her shoulder and continued, “About how he was trapped here, and how selfless he is.” She was about to argue so he cut her off, “I know that this is dangerous, but think about it! This is the only way that your selfless son will allow himself to go out and get what he always wanted because in a way it will help you, and it will help his family… This chance might never come again.” He smiled warmly. “Plus, we both know how obsessed he is with that story and that planet.” Maryse reluctantly let out a laugh and sighed, knowing that Ragnor knew what he was talking about. 

She glanced over her shoulder to look at her children. Izzy was smiling reassuringly up at Alec, her hands resting on both of his broad shoulders. Alec looked downcast, his shoulders slumping under the weight of everything like they always did, and Maryse felt her heart ache.

“I will look after him, Maryse, I swear to you.” Ragnor’s face was set with determination. 

Maryse sighed as she thought about it for a little longer, then realized that Ragnor was right.

Maryse turned around and went to her children, stopping a few feet away from them. Izzy stepped to the side next to her brother and Alec straightened up to his full height, his young face hopeful. Maryse took a deep breath, knowing that her next words would change her life forever.

“Just promise me that you’ll be careful.” Her voice was shaky, and Alec’s mouth fell open slightly in surprise. Then he stepped away from Izzy and stood in front of his mother, his face shining with excitement. “I promise,” Alec said, and then he pulled her into his strong arms and hugged her tightly. “I will make you proud,” he said softly, and a sad smile broke out on Maryse’s face. She had to remind herself that this was not the last time she would hug him like this, so she wouldn’t change her mind, no matter how badly she wanted to. More than anything, Maryse wanted to lock the doors of Ragnor’s house and keep them from leaving her.

But when she pulled away, and saw the happiness shining on his face, the brightness in his eyes, and how young he looked, she found that she didn’t really have the heart to do so. She cupped his cheek and smiled. “I am already so proud of you, Alec.”

A soft smile appeared on Alec’s face, and he pulled her back into another hug. Maryse fell into his arms again, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I love you, Mom,” Alec murmured, and Maryse gripped his back tighter.

“I love you too, Alec,” Maryse responded, and she let out a soft breath. She had seen Alec grow up from a young boy into a fine young man with responsibilities bigger than him, and now it was time to let him go.

________________________________________________________________

A loud knock on the front door of the loft echoed through the small space, falling upon a sleeping man’s deaf ears. There was a pause of silence before the guest knocked again, practically pounding on the door in an attempt to be heard, before she finally yelled as loud as she could.

“MAGNUS BANE!”

Magnus jolted awake and groaned as his eyes fluttered open to the harsh sunlight filtering in through the gaps in the blinds. He slowly sat up in his small bed, stretching his arms above his head as a yawn escaped his mouth, trying to wake up. He raised his hands and rubbed hard at his temples, cursing the pounding headache that ripped through his head. Last night was a blur of too many drinks and too many tipsy people getting all up into his personal space. He enjoyed attention from strangers, but not from ones with whiskey on their breath and no respect for personal boundaries. 

Magnus was laying low for a while, and he was getting more than a little restless now that there were no interesting exploits to guide, no new adventures on the horizon. He was beyond bored, and drinking and going to parties was as much of an adventure that he could get. But that routine had pretty much run its course and now Magnus was more bored than ever, and he was tired of having hangover headaches… They hurt.

Magnus’s headache was in no way being helped by the relentless pounding on his door, and he frowned. A quick glance at his bedside table clock told him that it was only a little after eight o’clock, so he had no idea why someone was calling upon him this early in the morning. Whoever it was was about to get a piece of his mind, and a piece of his fist if they played their cards wrong.

Magnus slid out of bed and tugged on a pair of loose pants, choosing to go barefoot and barechested when he went to answer the door. If it was a police officer who had come to tell him of an offence he had committed last night (although he wouldn’t remember), it wouldn’t hurt to give them a little treat.

Magnus left his bedroom and crossed the small living room that doubled as a kitchen to the front door. He didn’t need the space of a large apartment since he was away for a good part of the year, and changed his residence to a different planet every few years. He wrenched the door open with a sigh to reveal a stunning woman with starkly pale skin and black hair that hung to her waist. Her nails were painted dark red, matching her blood-red lips. Magnus stood there, blinking a few times as he looked at her with a blank expression.

The woman shamelessly checked out his half-naked form a few times before raising her eyes to meet his gaze. “Magnus,” she purred, “We need to talk.” Magnus remained frozen for a few more moments before shaking his head.

“Sorry, he’s not here right now,” Magnus replied dryly, and then he slammed the door shut in her face. He could hear her gasp in surprise, and he leaned back against the door and groaned. He was hungover, and now Camille Belcourt wanted to talk to him? It was much too early for this.

He hadn’t seen her in… God, so many years. Not since they were teenagers in that godforsaken crew on the Edom back then. One thing was for sure; He didn’t want to get involved in anything that had to do with that time and that crew… And him.

“Magnus! You need to hear me out!” He could hear her muffled voice through the door as she started banging on it again, and he could literally feel it pounding in his head. It was too much for his hangover, so he pushed himself away from the door, intending to return to his bed and continue sleeping.

“Magnus, I’m a messenger from the whole crew,” she pressed on. “You really don’t want to shut me out right now.”

Magnus froze; Great, not only did Camille know where he lives, but apparently the whole crew did as well… Aren’t most of them really old right now? He mused. He had probably spent more time living here in this apartment on Montressor than he anticipated. He needed to move out as soon as possible, and he sighed. 

“Magnus-” He opened the door with a jerk and hardened his expression. “Speak quickly,” he commanded, leaning against the doorframe and standing with his arms crossed.

“I can’t speak outside, can I?” She mirrored his pose and raised one thin eyebrow.

“Can’t you?” He asked with an innocent look.

“Oh, believe me, it’ll get you into so much trouble, dear.” She smiled smugly up at him, and Magnus pursed his lips and stood his ground for a few seconds before stepping aside to allow her to enter his apartment. 

Magnus closed the door and allowed himself a few moments to collect himself. For years, he had been afraid that this was going to happen someday, and he had wanted to avoid it as long as possible. Now it looked like he couldn't avoid it any longer.

He took a deep breath and went to lean against the wall in front of Camille, who was sitting on the sofa. She was looking around curiously, probably looking for something valuable to steal. It was a hard habit to get rid of when you used to be a pirate, and Magnus regrettably still found himself doing the same thing at times. But he had also discovered that sleight-of-hand tricks were very useful in his line of work, and he had used them successfully on more than one occasion.

“So?” He began, trying to get her talking so he could get this whole thing done and over with, once and for all.

“What? No ‘I’ve missed you, Camille!’? ‘How’s the crew’? ‘The people I grew up with’? Nothing?” She asked with a sly smile, knowing how Magnus felt about all of that, but she did it to irritate him.

“I thought you said this is important? Dangerous, even?” He kept his face impassive, and she sighed.

“Well, I think you know why I'm here, don’t you?” She raised an eyebrow, but Magnus remained silent. “Asmodeus’s treasure, our treasure!” She gave him a pointed look and continued. “I think it’s time we obtain it, it’s only our right as the crew, and we all have a share in it!”

Magnus was well aware of that, but apparently Camille had forgotten one important detail. “Yeah, well, it’s no use if we don’t actually have the map? As far as I can remember, Asmodeus’s portal is somewhere out in space, and nobody, not even me, knows how to get it working, although it has something to do with the previously mentioned lost map. And I thought the Edom was missing too? The only way to open the portal is through the captain’s cabin, so we can’t go and get the-” He trailed off at the smirk that had appeared on her face. 

“We tracked down Azazel,” she answered, as if that was the solution to everything. Azazel was Asmodeus’s right hand and first mate, and a trusted member of the crew. Magnus gave her a look, telling her to continue. “He got the map.” She spoke slowly and her grin grew wider, revealing her long, sharp fangs.

Magnus took in a sharp breath. “You have the map?” He asked, holding his breath in anticipation, wanting to make sure he had heard her correctly.

Camille’s grin turned into a look of annoyance. “Well, we got to him yesterday, but he was dead and the map wasn’t with him. He probably hid it somewhere before we reached him, so we'll go back today to search more thoroughly. We have to wait until those pesky police are gone, I can't believe they reached the place so fast- Stop laughing!” She glared at him as he tried to keep his chuckles at bay, and failed. 

“Oh, I'm sorry, but apparently this treasure is so cursed that it doesn't even want to be found by people like you.” Magnus took a deep breath to calm himself down. “So then why on earth did you come to me?”

Camille’s gaze was hard and hateful. “You know damn well why. We're going to get the map no matter what, and when that happens, you have to take us to the treasure! You're his son, for God’s sake! You know how to get us there and there is no chance in hell that we will let you stand in our way.” Her flirty voice was gone and had been replaced by a hard, demanding tone.

Magnus felt his stomach sink. He had known from the very beginning that this would happen eventually. No matter how hard he tried, he will never be able to escape his father’s legacy.

He took a deep breath, thinking of how he had always imagined this moment, but the difference was now it was actually happening. One thing was certain in his conflicted mind: He had to do this.

There was no more running away.

Magnus took a deep breath and looked up, staring at her with his true golden-green eyes, and he saw the fear dawn on her face. He couldn't help the smirk that settled onto his lips from her reaction; No wonder his father had never bothered to use his glamour to hide his slit-pupiled eyes. Her fear was good, and they mustn't forget who he is.

“Then I will be the captain of this voyage.” It wasn't a question, nor a demand, it was simply a fact.

Camille swallowed and nodded in agreement. “We will contact you as soon as we get the map,” she said simply as she stood up to leave, refusing to meet his gaze again.

“Oh, you don't have to come over, a letter will do.” Magnus gave her an innocent, charming smile that had her rolling her eyes as she closed the door behind her.

Magnus stood there in the quiet of the loft, thinking about what he was going to do and realizing that he would have to meet the crew first to work on planning this.

He yawned and stretched again, his body tired and sore from being dormant for so long, but he could feel the adrenaline running through his blood.

This journey might be the end of him, but there was no turning back.

Magnus turned and headed into the bathroom to take a bath, making a checklist in his mind of the things he would need for the next few days, when there was another knock on the door.

He sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. “This must be the day to annoy Magnus Bane!” He roared as he took a few strides to the door, hastily bringing his glamour back to hide his cat eyes. He flung it open and snarled upon seeing a messenger standing there, who stared awkwardly up at Magnus.

“Mr. Magnus Bane?” He asked after a few silent moments, and Magnus nodded. “I-I have a letter of utmost importance, or so the sender said.” He gave the letter to Magnus, who took it and held it carefully. “So I had to come and deliver it earlier, sign here, please.” Magnus took the pen and signed the form, and the messenger quickly scurried off. Magnus snorted at his nervousness and quickly shut the door.

Magnus walked over and took a seat on his sofa. The letter was from Tessa Gray at the spaceport, which could mean several things. He trusted Tessa to transfer his messages to him because no one was supposed to know his address, and he changed it often because of security reasons.

He opened the envelope and found another envelope inside. Frowning, he pulled it out and saw that it was a letter from Montressor, addressed from Ragnor Fell. That detail caught Magnus’s interest because he hadn’t heard from the professor in months, and Ragnor wouldn’t have sent this unless it was extremely important.

Magnus tore open the envelope, pulled out the letter, and unfolded it. He read it once, twice, and then stared at it, completely silent for a good few minutes.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” He finally shouted at the ceiling. “How can this get any more complicated?! What have I ever done to deserve this?” He paused. “Okay, I've done plenty,” he mumbled. He let out a deep sigh, knowing that he would have to contact Camille now. So soon.

If this was how his day was going to go, he needed a cup of coffee first, and maybe a few drops of rum in it, too. He groaned as he pulled himself off the couch and shuffled into the kitchen to brew a fresh pot.

It was too early for this, indeed.

 

\- PLANET MONTRESSOR DOCK TOWNS-

Alec took a deep breath as he got out of the carriage, hazel eyes sweeping the bustling towns of the main docks. It was chaotic all around, people going back and forth as they hurried along to their destinations. People everywhere were boarding ships, either to sail away with tears and bittersweet feelings coloring their departure, or walking down the gangplanks of them to hurry to their loved ones, embracing them with longing as relief washed over them like an old blanket. Sometimes an officer would greet an eagerly waiting family, and they shed tears for their lost loved ones who had been claimed by space.

Alec stood there in awe, watching the beginnings and endings of so many things in front of him, and he couldn’t help but wonder how his own story will end now that it had abruptly started a few nights ago.

The Fairchild family had come to Ragnor’s house first thing in the morning the day after the fire with the police in tow, making sure that the Lightwoods were okay. Jocelyn had freaked out over them when she arrived even though Clary had assured her of their safety, and the relief was obvious in her and Luke’s eyes. The police had informed them that they unfortunately couldn’t classify the attackers as a pirate crew for the lack of the Jolly Roger flag on Azazel’s fallen spacecraft. Alec had been furious that the lack of a flag was enough to discourage the police from investigating further; The pirates didn’t want to be identified for a reason. The police had also brought the bad news that the fire had eventually been put out, but not after it had consumed everything.

Alec had returned to the inn later that day with Simon and Luke, and sure enough, there was nothing left. He had been walking around aimlessly, hoping that he might find something from their home that had escaped the blaze, when he found it there. Between the ashes and burnt wood that made up the remains of his bed was his Treasure Planet book, the pages almost completely burned away, leaving only the cover intact. Alec picked it up gently and the few remaining pages crumbled and turned to gray dust, blowing away with the breeze. Alec realized with a start that this was not a story or a myth anymore, and that he was about to be a part of its sequel. As tears pricked his eyes, he brushed his fingers softly over the cover, the only good memory he had left now taken away. Maybe it’s for the best, Alec thought as he put it back down in the ruins. Maybe it was time to fully give up on his childhood, if he could even call it that, for it was no more.

It had been six days since that fateful night, and a lot has happened since then. Ragnor had managed to contact his adventurer friend, who in turn had managed to secure a crew, which was a very impressive achievement on such short notice. Ragnor had also managed to secure a captain for the voyage, a close friend of his who he held in the highest regard. Given the circumstances and the urgency, there was a lot to be done in such a short period of time, and many things had to be managed. Ragnor had been so busy writing letters and receiving them, sending money and the like, that he had rarely left his study. When he did, it was to tend to business for his short-notice absence. He also spoke to Maryse about the arrangement of the Lightwood family staying in his house while he took her eldest on a dangerous adventure. Needless to say, Alec’s mother was still worried sick.

Alec had prepared to leave by helping his mother and siblings settle into Ragnor's house, since they would be staying on Montressor. They sent a letter to Jace telling him what happened and reassuring them of their safety, and also to inform him that Alec would be away for a while. Unfortunately, Jace was in the other half of the galaxy and wouldn't be back for another month, which was killing him because he was still worried sick about his family, despite their reassurance.

Alec was brought back to the present by Ragnor and Luke talking to the staff about the spacecraft they should be on, and that they were all set and ready to go. Ragnor and Luke passed him and walked towards the docks, talking casually to each other, with Jocelyn and Clary following behind them. Alec felt a presence at both of his sides: Izzy at his right, interlocking their elbows and giving him an encouraging smile, which he returned with one of his own, and his mother on his left, holding his hand with Max on her other one.

Maryse kept looking ahead, taking deep breaths as they followed the others to the transport spacecraft that would take them from away from the docks of Montressor to the spaceport itself, where Alec and Ragnor would board their ship and be off on their journey.

No one said a word all the way to the loading bay, probably because they had spent the last few days preparing for this moment, each in their own way: Alec by making sure his family would get everything they needed while he was gone, Izzy by coming into the room and making the bed while talking about space and how they imagined their adventures would be like when they were little kids, unaware of the brutality of real life, and Maryse by making sure her son had packed everything he needed. She had been trying to keep herself busy, trying to do everything for him while knowing that she wouldn’t be there for him in the next few months. Alec could sense her restless energy and he would go and put a hand on her shoulder and smile at her, silently reassuring her again and again that he wants this, that he was ready for this, and that he will come back.

The group soon arrived at the transfer point, exiting the transport spacecraft and walking up to the second transport that would take them to Montressor Spaceport. Alec and Ragnor would then travel the short distance to the outermost docks, where all ships with deep-space journeys launched. Ragnor was standing beside the entrance of it, waiting for Alec with a little smile, but Alec could see that he was anxious and that he wanted to get to the spaceport as fast as possible. Ragnor was high on adrenaline and anticipation, and he was standing there for the sake of Alec and his family. Alec smiled thankfully back at him.

The Fairchilds were on the front row among the crowd that would see this spacecraft fly away, carrying dreams, wishes, business, and freedom with it.

“I guess this is it, for now.” Alec looked at Izzy and then at his mother with a soft smile.

Maryse’s hand tightened around his unconsciously, and she inhaled deeply, then let go of her son’s hand with a shaky exhale. She blinked her wet eyes at Alec but gave him a bright smile.

“Yeah, it looks like it is, big bro.” Izzy hugged his side and he wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Take care of Mom for me, okay?” Alec felt her nodding against his body, holding him tight and not wanting to let go. “And please don’t destroy Ragnor’s kitchen!” He added, and his smile turned into a wide grin when he felt her body shake with laughter. “Oh, shut up!” She pulled away with an eye roll, but not before giving him a kiss on his right cheek.

Alec crouched down next to Max, who was looking up at him with wide eyes. “Max, you know what to do, right?” Max nodded and counted on his fingers, “Never let Izzy in the kitchen, don’t let Simon get close to Izzy when Mom isn’t around-” Alec heard Izzy protest and their mother chuckle. “And?” Alec asked, and Max rolled his eyes. “I have to help Mom in the kitchen and I promise I won’t get into Ragnor’s study without Mom or Izzy.” Max give his older brother a look that said ‘There, happy now?’ Alec laughed and hugged his little brother, ruffling his hair when he stood.

When Alec turned to look at his mother, he opened his mouth only for Maryse to cut him off. “I know, Alec,” she said with a smile. “Go and have your adventure, but please be careful.” She straightened the collar of his jacket and rested her hands on his shoulders.

“I promise, again,” Alec replied with a grin. “And I thought Ragnor already gave you his word, Mom, isn’t that enough?” Maryse rolled her eyes and looked behind Alec at Ragnor. “Well, I have a feeling that I will have to ask you to look after him, actually,” she said with an amused sigh. Alec turned his head and saw Ragnor practically bouncing on the balls of his feet from nervousness? Excitement? Who knows! Alec laughed and shook his head. “I promise Mom, I won’t let him be reckless.” 

Maryse gazed up at her eldest child, her eyes softening as she saw how happy and young he looked. He was only in his early twenties, a very young man indeed, but the crushing responsibility of stepping up to be the man of the household had aged him by what seemed like decades. Now that the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders, he was bright and smiling, practically glowing with happiness and excitement.

“I want you to have this,” Maryse said, and Alec’s brow furrowed in confusion. He watched his mother untuck a necklace from under her dress, pulling it off her neck and holding it up for him to see. It was a silver ring hanging from a simple black cord, but Alec knew what it was immediately.

“This is the Lightwood family ring,” Maryse said, confirming Alec’s thoughts. Alec’s mouth fell open slightly as he looked at all its details. It had a large letter “L” in relief against a cross-hatched background, and tiny flames were engraved into the smooth sides. It was fairly small and showed some signs of wear, but it still shone brightly.

“I want you to have it,” Maryse said, and Alec ducked his head so his mother could place the necklace around his neck. Alec held the ring between his fingers, rubbing it softly as he looked back up at his mother for an explanation. 

“It’s tradition that the eldest son of the family receives the ring, but I want you to keep it with you for something else. Keep it as a reminder of us, and know that we are always thinking of you, even though we aren’t by your side. Remember that you always have a place to belong, and a family.” Maryse’s lower lip trembled and Alec stepped forward and pulled her into his arms as tears welled up in her eyes. 

“Be the good man that I know you are, and you will bring honor to the Lightwood name,” Maryse whispered, and Alec screwed his eyes shut to ward off tears. His mother wasn’t just giving him the family ring as a keepsake; She was giving it to him in hopes that he would do the Lightwood name justice, unlike his father, who had failed them all.

Alec would not make that mistake.  
Maryse sniffed, allowing herself to hold her son for a few more moments, before pulling away. She kissed both of his cheeks and cupped his face in her hands. “Be safe, my son.”

As Alec was let go of her embrace, he felt his eyes watering, but nodded in response. He smiled at his family and turned around, waving to the Fairchilds on his way to Ragnor, who had already said their goodbyes at Ragnor’s house. 

“All set, lad?” Ragnor asked as Alec walked up to him, and they started entering the spacecraft.

“Yeah, all set.” He cast one last glance over his shoulder to see his mother and Izzy in a tearful embrace, and Max waving eagerly at him. He smiled at his family one last time, then looked forward again and walked the last few steps onto the ship with Ragnor, hearing the entrance close behind him.

So it begins, he thought as he navigated his way with Ragnor to their seats.

 

\- MONTRESSOR SPACEPORT -

After a short journey, they arrived at the spaceport. Alec had spent most of the time in silence, contemplating everything as his fingers toyed with the ring around his neck. He had only managed to halfheartedly listen to Ragnor, unable to focus when he had so many things on his mind. When the transport spacecraft stopped moving, they gathered their belongings and fell into the line to exit.

“God, this is rubbish!” Ragnor complained, shaking the box he just purchased, causing it to make weird noises like it was broken. Alec had no idea what it was supposed to be, and he chuckled. “Then why did you buy it?” He raised his eyebrow with a smirk, but soon had to blink his eyes rapidly at the sudden brightness when they exited the spacecraft.

“That two-headed saleswoman wouldn't leave me alone if I didn’t!“ Ragnor threw his hands up in frustration as they walked down to the docks. “One head was talking about its value and then the second head was talking about how it was going to benefit me, bugger it all! They were driving me insane! I had to shut them up somehow.” He held the box away as if it offended him, his nose crinkling up in disgust. “So I had to buy this… Thing.” He groaned and shook it again, eliciting an odd honking noise. “What a waste of money.”

That made Alec laugh, which in turn made Ragnor brood silently.

Alec looked all around him in curiosity as he followed closely to Ragnor. The spaceport was a busy place, much busier than Montressor’s docks. This was the main transportation point, and activity buzzed everywhere he looked. Big ships coming and going at all times, cargo and shipments being loaded and unloaded, shouts and barked orders filling the air, crews laughing as they prepared for their upcoming journeys. Hotels and motels, bars and clubs, repair shops and trading companies; Everything that would benefit a ship, its crew, and its journey was here. It was entertainment, it was business, and it was everything, albeit a bit overwhelming to take in.

Alec was so captivated that he almost collided with Ragnor, who had stopped walking. “We are here,” Ragnor announced, looking at Alec from the corner of his eyes, amused as Alec straightened himself up from tripping. “Allow me to introduce you to the R.S.L. Legacy!” He finished with a flourish, gesturing at the huge, elegant ship floating in its own private docks. It was a three mast ship with big, cream-colored solar sails that gleamed in the sunlight. The ship itself was a light brown color with elegant golden carvings all along the hull and R.S.L. Legacy carved into the right side of the hull. Alec eyes grew wide from shock as he looked at the ship then at Ragnor, and he pointed at the ship and looked at Ragnor again. “This is the ship you fucking bought?!” It must have cost a fortune! Alec knew Ragnor was rich, but not this rich! What the hell was he doing living on Montressor of all places?

“Language, Lightwood!” Ragnor scolded, giving him a disapproving look, to which Alec replied with an ‘Are you serious right now?’ look, and Ragnor sighed. “Honestly, Alec, I thought we had already established that I am a brilliant astronomer and have had many discoveries in my long years, so logically-” He gave Alec a look from over the top of his glasses, “-I will be able to call in some favors and I will also be able to buy this ship. Now come along, we best get on board. I bet they’re waiting for us.” They managed to catch a small boat that was about to fly some supplies up to the ship and boarded it with their luggage.

The ship was even more impressive up close, and Alec could see the crew making their way up and down the nets, working on the sails and securing the deck. It was an organized form of chaos, and everyone knew what they were supposed to do and where everything was. Alec was used to chaos from a whole life of working in a busy inn, but this was on a much larger scale, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

Ragnor was making sure to separate their belongings from the ship’s supplies as Alec climbed over the railing and his feet touched the deck’s wooden floor for the first time. He took in a deep breath and realized that he was going to spend the next few months on this ship, with this new group of different people. Alec walked along the deck in wonder, taking everything in; How tall the masts were, and the size of the sails and the shimmer they reflected on everything. The crew was a big one, probably more than twenty-five members, all necessary to keep the ship in tip-top shape. They varied in age and in species, but the one thing they all had in common was that they all looked like rough sailors, used to living and breathing and sleeping in space on a ship.

Alec was surprised to see a delicate young lady working with them too, and she was rather out of place among the burly, hardened sailors. Her long, dark hair was what had caught Alec’s attention because it reminded him of Izzy, and for a fleeting second he thought it was in fact his sister. The lady turned and caught him looking, and she gave him a cold smile, revealing gleaming, wicked-sharp fangs. Something twisted in his stomach, and he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong here, but then it hit him. Old Azazel’s words echoed in his head: That wicked, flesh-eating woman. He didn’t know why she reminded him of that, but he knew that he has to stay away from her… As far away as possible, seeing as he was already wary of her, and he intended to stay that way.

She saw the change in his expression, him closing off, and her expression turned predatory. Alec turned away quickly, his stomach turning as he started looking at something else.

Alec was looking over at the quarterdeck at the back of the ship when a shadow suddenly loomed over him. Alec turned and looked up to see a man swinging from the masts using the ropes. He moved like a gymnast amongst the ropes, quick and agile, until he swung and did a front flip off of them to land gracefully a few feet away from Alec.

“Mr. Hands!” The man called out as he straightened up, his back to Alec. “I need you to look over the main mast ropes, they’re a little too tight for taking off at full speed,” he ordered an alien man with six arms, three on each side, and ratty blond hair tucked under a red bandana. The sailor saluted the man and started climbing the nets on the side of the ship. Alec tracked his swift movement up the nets, thinking about how convenient it must be to have that number of hands on a ship. A movement to his right made him turn around to see that the man, the captain?, had turned and was now facing him, taking a few long strides across the deck so they were standing face-to-face.

Alec felt his mouth drop open as he took in the man’s appearance. He was tall and lithe like a cat, but his broad shoulders and muscled arms bulged through the tight burgundy shirt he wore. His coal-black hair was cut short on the sides, and the longer top part was styled up into thick spikes, accented with shimmering streaks of gold highlights. His chocolate-brown eyes were decorated with a ring of black eyeliner and a smattering of glitter under his lower lids. A few beaded necklaces hung around his neck, one disappearing into the sinfully low neckline of his shirt, which hinted at a strong chest. The corners of his mouth, which was framed by a well-trimmed goatee, tugged up into a smile as he saw Alec’s reaction, clearly amused at his awe.

“I’m Magnus Bane, the quartermaster of this ship,” the man said, and he extended a hand for Alec to shake. Alec quickly shut his mouth and stepped forward, taking the man’s ring-laden hand in his for a firm shake. So he wasn’t the captain after all, but he wore such an air of authority that it was hard to imagine him as anything but that. Then again, the quartermaster did have a great deal of authority over the crew and against the captain, which suited him more, Alec thought. The carefree elegance in the way he dressed and the graceful way he held himself set him apart from the other sailors. While they were soldiers, following orders and moving like clockwork, Magnus was a free spirit, a rebel in his own right.

“I-I’m Alec, A-Alec Lightwood,” Alec stammered in response, and he silently cursed himself for stuttering. He had no idea why he was so nervous! “I came with Ragnor Fell,” he explained, and the man’s eyebrows rose up in surprise. “Actually, I’m Ragnor’s dearest friend!” Magnus said, a small smirk settling on his lips.

Alec’s brain froze, then started working twice as fast as he tried to process this piece of information. Magnus. He remembered when Ragnor had said the name, but he hadn’t made the connection. Hell, he had expected Ragnor’s adventurer friend to be an older man with graying hair and a moustache, not this handsome, mysterious, powerful man.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alexander, ” Magnus replied with a warm smile, and Alec felt his cheeks flush, so he quickly cleared his throat and looked away. It was just a smile! Why was he so flustered? Then what Magnus had said caught up to him. 

“Did you just call me Alexander?” He asked, and the man’s face remained a blank mask as he took in Alec’s appearance. “Well, Alec is short for Alexander, is it not? Unless I’m wrong with my assumption,” he replied swiftly, and his tone was warm, persuasive, and oddly convincing. He could get anything and everything he wanted with that tone, Alec thought, and it frightened him. 

“Yes, you’re right, but-” Magnus gave him a charming smile that made Alec stop completely. He rapidly became lost in what he wanted to say, feeling like he didn’t want to argue at all in the first place, and his nervousness returned as Magnus said, “Well then, Alexander, where is that enormous green thorn in my sid-”

“Magnus freaking Bane!” Alec heard Ragnor call out from behind him, and he watched Magnus’s brown eyes light up and his smile grow bigger. Damn it, Alec thought; He couldn’t tear his eyes away from that smile, that smile that lit up his features and curved his pink lips.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the one and only green creature of gloom!” Magnus teased as he went over to stand in front of Ragnor, looking extremely smug. “Hello to you too, you brainless shit,” Ragnor replied with a grin, and suddenly they were embracing each other tightly and clapping each other on the back. It was a bizarre thing to witness if you asked Alec. Ragnor had never been the type for physical affection, but Alec guessed that when you haven’t seen your friend in a while, there was an exception.

“Oh, I’ve missed your stupid face! How have you been?” Ragnor continued his little chat with Magnus but noticed Alec standing there a little behind the quartermaster. “Oh, Magnus! Let me introduce to you, Alec Lightw-” 

“I’ve already met him.” Magnus cut his friend off, and he nodded toward Alec. “Is he your assistant?” He asked, turning to Ragnor. “Oh no, I’m a friend of his family! Actually, he’s the one who found the map and managed to open it.” He whispered the last part so that Magnus and Alec were the only ones able to hear it. Magnus’s eyes snapped back to Alec, who stood stiff under the attention. Magnus’s expression was intense but otherwise unreadable. Alec hated this; He rarely felt like he didn’t understand people. “Is that so?” Magnus hummed, rubbing his goatee thoughtfully, still locking his gaze with Alec’s, who took it as a type of a challenge.

“Yes, I didn’t mention much in the letter for security purposes, and I would discuss the details with you but I’m waiting for the cap-” Ragnor’s explanation was cut off by a loud yell of “YOU TWO!” The booming voice made Alec jump, completely startled, and he broke the intense staring contest between him and Magnus. He turned toward the voice, and found a bright-blue-skinned woman with short white hair braided at the right side of her head marching toward them. She was dressed elegantly in a navy blue coat and a pair of beige trousers with long black boots. What was interesting was that she was glaring with so much anger in their direction, that Alec noted some of the crew stopped in their tracks to see what the commotion was all about. With furrowed brows, Alec turned to ask Ragnor and was met by a very pale green Ragnor and… An equally pale Magnus, both standing there awkwardly like badly behaving kids.

Alec blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened so fast, and the blue-skinned woman passed him in a huff to stand right in front of the duo with her hands on her hips, bright blue eyes flashing with anger.

Alec saw Magnus swallow and regain his composure. “Hello, Catarina!” He flashed a charming smile in her direction. “It’s been a long time, dear-” She, Catarina, raised a hand to stop him from speaking another word.

“Flattery won’t get you out of this, Bane,” she spat, and Alec stood there with a small smile on his face, amused by the sight. Ragnor was sweating, clearly nervous, which was hilariously funny coming from the normally stoic and stone-cold astronomer.

Alec only noticed the man standing next to him when Ragnor’s eyes drifted to him and his nervous look turned into a glare. He hadn’t heard the man approach at all, and he felt a bit uneasy at the thought of how silently he must have walked over. The man must have been a few years older than Alec but was a good foot shorter. He had short black hair slicked back with gel, thick brows, and a small scar marking one pale cheek. He was silent and held an air of calmness about him as he smirked at Ragnor, who’s glare became even more profound.

Alec attention snapped back to Magnus again when he let out a sigh. “Oh come on, Catarina, you can’t possibly still be mad?” He ended the sentence with a dismissive flourish. Without missing a beat, Catarina fired back, “You went against the wishes of all the members of the exploit!” An argument quickly started, their voices raising as Magnus became more frustrated and Catarina became furious. 

“Oh, don’t be dramatic!”

“And the boat-” 

“Well, yes, I was going to give it back as soon as Ragnor was finished with his research!”

“You two dessamated an ancient burial ground with a stolen academy vessel!” Catarina screamed, throwing her hands into the air over her head. “Borrowed!” Magnus shot back, but was ignored as Catarina continued, “Since your little escapade, the Idris Space Academy has had some serious trust issues with the species inhabiting that planet because of your stupidity and disrespect!”

“Catarina, I really think we should put this behind us.” It was the first time Ragnor had spoken since the argument started, and he was trying to be the peacekeeper and smooth his friends’ very ruffled feathers. 

“You wouldn’t have even thought about doing something like that if it weren’t for him,” Catarina said, wrinkling up her nose and pointing an accusing finger at Magnus, who put a hand to his chest and stared at Catarina with an offended look. 

“I’m not a bad influence at all, if that’s what you’re trying to say! I merely set him free! Ragnor is not the rule-abiding, stuffy professor most people think he is.” Ragnor glared at him at that statement, and it looked like all hell would break loose when the man next to Alec spoke up.

“I think we should take this party to the captain’s cabin and talk about why we’re here.”  
He spoke calmly and nodded his head with a raised eyebrow when the three of them turned to look at him, noticing the whole crew watching it all.

Catarina cleared her throat and straightened her coat. “Well, this ship is in my command, and I expect order to be maintained. I don’t want any silly adventures or accidents to happen, not this time.” She gave them a look and they both nodded, although Magnus had a slight smile on his face. “Now, I would like to speak to the three of you in my cabin.” Alec thought she meant Ragnor, Magnus, and the dark-haired man, but she was looking at him before turning to the back of the ship. Alec glanced at Ragnor, who clasped his shoulder and moved to follow her, as did Magnus, and he quickly hurried after them.

The captain’s cabin was large, the biggest on the ship, with tall windows and window benches that offered a spectacular view of the sky outside. A bed hung from the ceiling in the far right corner of the room, also surrounded by large windows. The rest of the room was tastefully decorated with a large desk with a few navigation tools scattered on top of it, a big electronic map hanging on the wall in front of it, and two bookshelves and a big safe on the left wall. A chandelier hung in the center of the room and a smaller one adorned the top of the desk, and lamps decorated the walls. Almost everything was made out of wood, the two or three different shades varying in darkness. It was a clean, functional space that gave beautiful views of the outside sky, and Alec couldn’t help but wish that he could stay in this cabin. He could imagine sitting in one of the window seats, sketchbook in his lap and pencil in his hand, gazing out the glass at the beauty of outer space.

“Close and lock the door, Raphael.” Catarina was stationed behind her desk when Alec and Ragnor entered. The dark-haired man, Raphael, did as he told, then went to stand at the right side of the desk. Magnus leaned back against the wall in front of the desk, one leg bent as he propped a foot against it. Alec and Ragnor went and stood on the left side of the desk, and everyone turned their attention to the captain.

“Now, I just need to make sure,” Catarina started, “The crew knows nothing about the real purpose of this journey, yes?” 

“Only that this is a very profitable endeavor at the end of it all,” Magnus replied in his smooth voice, and Alec was mesmerized, but he mentally shook himself. Get a grip on yourself Lightwood, Alec scolded himself. His gut feeling reminded him how that man was possibly dangerous, and he knew he couldn’t run around getting lightheaded at his silky voice. Catarina nodded in approval. “It’s best that it stays that way. Only the five of us will know and we will only speak of it inside these four walls, never a word outside.” Her blue eyes swept over them all before landing on Ragnor. “Now tell us everything,” she instructed, and Ragnor began telling them everything that had happened, with some input from Alec when he was asked about Azazel and the map.

Everyone stood in silence when they finished the story, minds processing the new information. “What about the map?” Magnus was the first to speak when he asked the question with a raised eyebrow. “We can’t leave it in the hands of this boy!” He spoke in a haughty tone as if Alec was a child, and therefore of much lesser worth? Was he kidding?

Alec felt his face heat up with anger as he glared at Magnus, who was looking straight ahead at the captain, not even sparing a glance to Alec. “Actually, I was just about to say that it’s safest here in the captain’s safe, where only I will have access to it,” Catarina said calmly, and she extended her hand in their direction. Alec was speechless when Ragnor nodded and turned to him. “What? You want me to leave the map here?” Ragnor couldn’t be serious! 

“It’s alright, Alec. I trust her, and besides-” Ragnor looked at the other three and smirked, “-You are, in fact, the only one who can open the map, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Alec knew that he couldn’t say no. It was only logical to leave it here, in the captain’s safe, where it would be kept under lock and key and away from the rest of the crew. These people were on the same journey as him, but the fact that Magnus said something like that made him feel like he didn’t belong, which struck a melancholy chord, because that was exactly what Alec was looking for. Sure, Magnus had much more experience than him, but he deserved a chance to prove himself before the adventurer could write him off as a useless boy.  
Alec felt a lump forming in his throat as he took the map out of the pocket of his leather jacket, running a thumb along its smooth surface. He was reluctant to let it go, because he was the one who knew how to open it and reveal its secrets. He sighed, knowing that if he was going to make a good first impression, he needed to start following orders immediately. With a deep breath, he handed the map over to Catarina, dropping it into her waiting palm. He quickly clasped his hands behind his back to keep himself from snatching it away from her. 

Alec noticed Magnus went stiff as he stared hard at the map, hatred flickering in his eyes like it was an old enemy. Catarina only looked at it with wide eyes and a curious smile. “So this is it,” she whispered, and after a moment of observation, she walked over to the safe and locked the map inside it. “I presume you have an outline for half of the journey, at least?” Catarina asked Ragnor when she turned back around, tucking the key into an inner pocket of her coat.

“Yes!” Ragnor responded, perking up at the question. “I have the course halfway mapped out, the planets we need to pass and everything like that, so we don’t have to worry about opening the map anytime soon.” He handed Raphael a folded piece of paper, presumably what contained the course, and said, “It’s in code, never fear.”

Catarina nodded. “Good. Ragnor, continue charting our course, and Raphael, you can assist him. Now, the remaining question is, what to do with you?” Alec tore his eyes away from Raphael, silence falling over the room. He found that Catarina was looking at him. “Me?” He asked, puzzled as he pulled his shoulders back and stood at attention.

“He is very knowledgeable in astronomy-” 

“Do you need assistance in that department on this journey, Ragnor?” Catarina cut him off with a question and a smile. Ragnor paused, clearly taken aback. “N-Not really, I suppose,” he stammered in his response, unsure of how Alec would be helpful. 

“I’m very good at mechanics,” Alec responded, confident in his abilities. “I can help with repairs around the ship, maybe even help the shipwright.”

Magnus snorted and pushed himself off the wall, walking over to carelessly take a seat on the desk. “Mr. De Grout is perfectly capable of that, and he already has two assistants who have a real knowledge of the ship.” He gave Alec a look, one that made his blood boil. “He doesn't need a farm boy’s help.” A smug smirk had settled on Magnus’s lips, and he looked extremely pleased with himself. Ragnor scowled and Raphael’s eyebrows rose in amusement.

Alec rolled his shoulders and stood at his full height, refusing to lose his temper and give Magnus the satisfaction of knowing how deep he got under his skin.

“Well then, I guess I’ve found the perfect job for you.” Alec turned to find Catarina smiling at him, but her eyes were cold, and he had to admit that she was frightening. “Magnus, you’re assigned to teach Alec everything he needs to know about the ship and about traveling through space. Make sure that you keep him busy with work, because he’ll your new cabin boy.” Her smile had grown bigger with each word, and it turned into a shit-eating grin when she finished speaking. Magnus slowly rose into a standing position, his crossed arms falling to his sides as silence settled across the cabin. Ragnor and Raphael were holding back grins, and then Alec and Magnus exploded at the same time.

“No! Please, Captain, I’ll do anything else-”

“You can’t do this to me, Catarina! Not this boy, I don’t want anything to do with him-”

“Magnus?! I can’t work with him!”

“I’m kept very busy on this ship! I can’t be tasked with looking after a child!”

“You’re the one who’s being childish-”

They had started out looking at Catarina in shock and horror when the screaming began, and they ended up facing each other with heated faces and flailing arms, continuing their fight.

“BOTH OF YOU, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!” Catarina roared and slammed her hands onto the desk with a loud bang. Their mouths snapped shut immediately, and they threw one last nasty look at each other before turning to Catarina. “That’s an order! And this is the last time this matter will be discussed!” She glared at Magnus, who was about to protest, and he scowled back at her. Alec knew he couldn’t persuade the captain so he threw a pleading look at Ragnor, who looked amused with the whole thing, and he merely lifted one eyebrow at Alec. Traitor, Alec thought sullenly, and he sighed and rubbed his eyes. 

“But Catarina-” Magnus wasn’t giving up, but Catarina wasn’t having it.

“I am the captain of this ship, Magnus! I suggest you do what you’re asked.” Magnus’s shoulders dropped very slightly, surrendering to her authority, but his face was stormy with rage.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Magnus exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. He unlocked the door and wrenched it open, sending it into the wall beside it with a bang. He stormed out of the cabin, his leather boots striking the floor loudly all the way down the short hallway. Alec lifted his head and removed his hands from his eyes, letting out a soft breath. When he looked up, Catarina was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What are you fucking waiting for?” They could hear Magnus’s impatient and enraged voice booming from the deck. Catarina rolled her eyes and gestured for him to leave with a wave of her hand. “And please close the door on your way out, Alec.”

Alec nodded to the captain then did as he was told. He leaned against the closed door, staring at Magnus making his way around the deck and screaming bloody murder at anyone who was unfortunate enough to make a mistake.

“Fuck,” Alec muttered, shaking his head. It was clear that Magnus didn’t like him, but damn it, he would have to get used to having Alec around. He was the new cabin boy, and Alec intended to fulfill his orders better than anyone ever could. But first, he would have to figure out a way to get along with Magnus. He know he had to prove himself to them all.

What a way to start this adventure, Alec thought grimly, stroking the ring around his neck with a thumb. He sighed and pushed himself off the door, quickening his pace so he could reach Magnus before another sailor had to suffer his wrath.


	3. The Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The voyage begins as the R.L.S Legacy sets off on her course. Alec struggles to find his place among the chaos of the crew, and Magnus makes sure he carries out his duties as quartermaster by giving Alec as much work as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! We know it's been a while since the last update, but we're happy to present Chapter 3! It's a bit shorter than the previous two but sets up a lot for the remainder of the story, which will start to pick up at a faster pace in Chapter 4!   
> As always, feel free to livetweet with the hashtag #TLOTWFic   
> Hope you enjoy the chapter! :D

\- MONTRESSOR SPACEPORT BERTH -

Alec descended down the stairs that led from the quarterdeck to the main deck, watching as Magnus barked orders and muttered bitterly about how useless a farm boy was on a ship. Alec reluctantly trailed after him, trying to stay calm and not entirely sure what he was supposed to do. He really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Magnus’s shouting, although the crew didn’t look bothered by it at all; They just went about doing what they were told. Alec was amazed, as this could either mean they actually respected Magnus or that they had a very high level of tolerance.

Alec was positive he didn’t share either of those things with them at the moment.

He stood a few feet behind Magnus, who was standing still and observing everything around him, choosing to completely ignore Alec in the process, which had Alec rolling his eyes. Suddenly, he caught something zooming by him and it hit Magnus squarely in the back of his head. It was some sort of sluggish mud, dark brown mixed with green, like it had come from a sewer. From the unpleasant smell that wafted into Alec’s nose, it probably had.

Alec stood there horrified as Magnus’s whole body went tense, shoulders hunching up from the impact, before he slowly turned around and and glared at Alec.

Alec quickly realized that it looked like he was the one who threw the mud, and he started shaking his head in denial even before Magnus could speak, because Magnus looked like he was about to explode!

Then something bizarre happened, and Alec wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating. The remains of the mud on Magnus’s head started to shake. Shit, he’s furious, thought Alec as he took a step backward and held out his hands in a pleading gesture. Then Magnus stared at the mud pieces splattered on his shoulder, and his body was completely still, but the mud kept on shaking.

“What the hell?” Alec breathed, then nearly jumped out of his skin the next moment when Magnus roared, “CHAIRMAN!” For one horrifying moment, Alec thought Magnus was calling someone to take him away, or worse, but he continued. “THAT IS NOT FUNNY!” Alec glanced over his shoulder again but didn’t see anybody, and when he turned to look back at Magnus, the mud started shaking uncontrollably. Alec watched it hover away from Magnus and assemble into a large, gelatinous, blob… thing. It was bright pink with big eyes and a mouth and it was laughing and pointing at Magnus with a small, round hand. Alec pinched his thigh hard because he was sure he was hallucinating, and none of this made any sense.

“You insufferable little piece of…” Magnus muttered angrily, and he trailed off when the creature- Chairman- nuzzled up to his cheek, which made Magnus sigh in defeat. He patted the creature affectionately. “Just don’t do it again, you idiot, I’m the quartermaster now.” The Chairman exploded into confetti and fireworks which made Magnus chuckle… He has such a nice, deep voice, Alec’s brain supplied unhelpfully.

Magnus’s eyes found Alec and his expression closed off, and he looked like he was about to order Alec around- Or tell him to piss off, really- When Raphael's voice boomed out from the quarterdeck railing, calling for attention. Alec glanced up and noticed Captain Loss standing beside him. 

“I am Captain Catarina Loss and this is Mr. Raphael Santiago, my right hand.” She paused and looked around at the crew with a stern gaze. “Meaning that his word is my word when I am not around.” She raised one thin eyebrow at the crew’s grunts and murmurs, some of them turning and looking at Magnus as if they were waiting for him to say something, but he remained silent.

Captain Loss turned to Raphael and instructed, “Begin now.” Raphael nodded and stepped forward, raising his voice in a commanding way that silenced the crew. “All hands on deck, prepare to launch! Mr. Gray on the helm, if you please, and start the back thrusters.”

As the whole crew sprang in motion, Alec stood rooted to his spot, overwhelmed all over again at how organized it all seemed, but unable to keep up with anything. He knew he should start getting used to the chaos of the routines, and he should be working among the moving men right now. He couldn't find a spot to jump in and fall into place with the rest of the sailors, and to his irritation, Magnus's words rang in his ears again: Farm boy.

He heard Magnus calling out names and assigning everyone their positions, and he had to admit, Magnus was right in his element, going along smoothly with everything and everyone. Irritation flared up higher in Alec and he wanted to prove himself more than ever.

“Loosen all solar sails!” Came the captain’s order, and it was followed by an echo of it from Raphael and then Magnus as the message was relayed to the sailors. Alec glanced upwards and saw the crew members balanced on horizontal ropes along the three masts as they untied the sails. As the sails were freed, they sparkled as the sun hit them and sent shimmering reflections dancing across the ship. It was a spectacle that was beautiful in itself, and Alec couldn't help but marvel at the dancing lights across the deck.

Alec was distracted and bumped into a crew member who shouted “Use your eyes!” At Alec before he continued on. Alec threw out several apologies before moving to hover near the main mast, desperate to stay out of everyone's way.

“Heave up the braces!”

Alec felt the mast vibrate and turned around to see the energy from the solar sails being transferred through the mast into the engine room. The process was on a completely higher level than his solar surfer, but it followed the same principles of converting the energy gathered by the solar sails into power for the engines. He smirked, proud that he at least knew all about something.

Alec’s smirk fell as he suddenly felt himself floating, his feet hovering a few inches off the ground. He panicked for a moment but relaxed when he looked at Magnus, who was also floating… While holding his commanding posture… How the hell was he doing that?

“Mr. Hands!” Called Catarina, “Engage the artificial gravity!”

“Aye aye, Captain,” saluted Mr. Hands, and he pulled a lever near him with one of his six hands. Alec felt himself being sucked to the deck floor and he managed to save himself- And his dignity- By landing in a crouch to keep himself from falling. He quickly looked at Magnus and saw him landing perfectly on his feet, never breaking his posture. Alec felt personally offended by how graceful that had been.

“Engage the protective field!” The command echoed below deck this time and Alec watched a shimmering blue layer surround the ship, hovering in the air for a moment before it became transparent. A protective shield was required on every ship for the safety of the crew and to preserve oxygen so everyone could breathe, even in the depths of deep space.

“South by southwest, Mr. Gray, heading 2-1-0-0.” 

“Aye, Captain, 2-1-0-0.” Mr. Gray gripped the helm with his four arms and spun the wooden wheel smoothly.

Alec went to the ship railings and looked down, noticing that they were getting farther and farther away from the spaceport berth as the ship continued to ascend.

“Full speed, Mr. Santiago.” Alec heard the captain address Raphael as he continued to look down at the shrinking spaceport.

“I would advise moving away from the railing and bracing yourself, farm boy.” Alec heard Magnus’s snide comment and turned around to glare at him. Magnus was tucking the Chairman into his coat and murmuring, “Stay there or you’ll blow away, little one.” Alec moved a short distance away from the railing, but he didn’t hold onto anything. Magnus gave him a sidelong look, amusement written all over his face and a slightly triumphant look resting on his features.

Alec was about to ask why he looked so smug when the ship suddenly burst forward with a neck-breaking jolt. Being used to a similar takeoff on his solar surfer, he stumbled a step backwards, but that was only because the acceleration had taken him by surprise. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard Ragnor yelp “Blimey!” from somewhere behind him, knowing the professor had fallen over from the accompanying thud that came with his exclamation.

Alec felt his laughter die in his throat when he saw that Magnus had remained steady on his feet and was still standing like a stone statue… Damn him.

To Alec’s utter surprise, Magnus glanced over at him, looking genuinely impressed. Alec couldn’t help but pull himself up to his full height as a smug feeling settled over him. He was going to make Magnus very sorry that he had ever underestimated him… Soon… When he get used to this whole spaceship thing.

Magnus looked away and didn’t spare Alec another glance, striding away to check on some crew members at the front mast. Alec couldn’t help but let his shoulders sag a little at Magnus’s quick dismissal of him. Sure, he had looked impressed, but that had only lasted for a few moments. Now he was off, returning to business like nothing had even happened. 

Alec shook himself out of his self-pitying thoughts and pulled Magnus from his mind. He looked ahead with bright eyes as the ship soared away from the spaceport and into space… Finally.

Alec went to the riggings and hauled himself up, turning so he had his back to the riggings and the ship. He gripped the ropes tightly with his hands behind his back and leaned his head forward, seeing the spaceport rapidly getting smaller as the ship rose higher, and the darkness of space and a blanket of sparkling stars soon surrounded him.

From his point of view it looked as if he was just floating away into the vast unknown, with nothing tying him down or holding him back.

Alec couldn’t stop the giddy laughter that bubbled up in his chest, and he threw his head back into the riggings and stared up. No spaceport, no sky, and no planet near him, just a vast expanse of the unknown, waiting for the brave to explore it. “Freedom,” he breathed in wonder.

The stars were twinkling, winking at him, as if promising him endless adventures.

\-------------------------------------------

Magnus took a deep breath, letting his eyes wander to the vast, dark unknown that had always beckoned to him with promises of greatness. He was standing near the front mast, checking on what seemed to be a problem with a supposedly missing shipment. Of course, the two airheads that had claimed a set of missing ropes weren’t on the ship hadn’t bothered to check the crates stacked near the railing. Once Magnus had opened the crates, he found the shipment of spare ropes and rope pieces, unlike the lazy and ignorant sailors who had previously been given the task.

Magnus took another deep breath and let it out slowly, knowing that he needed to be patient… Not one of his strong points when it came to things like this. That’s why he preferred to be a single player, or in the company of the very few people that he actually liked; This didn’t change the fact that he was born to be a leader, the one others turned to for salvation when all hope seemed lost. People always listened to him, or in this case, needed him for several reasons.

It would've been easier, so much easier if it weren’t for the fact that Catarina, Ragnor, Raphael, and that… That boy were on board the ship.

It was like having two layers of cover. God, this is going to be dreadful, Magnus thought with a groan.

The empty vastness of space seemed to be mocking him, the twinkling stars laughing at his dilemma. You deserve it, they seemed to be saying.

Magnus glared back at nothingness, and as if it was an immediate punishment sent by the heavens, a silky voice came behind him. “My, my… We’ve only just launched and you’re already being grumpy.” Magnus rolled his eyes before turning around to face Camille.

She was standing with her arms crossed, smirking and jerking her head to the right. “Does this have anything to do with the cute boy who was trailing after you like a lost puppy?” A muscle twitched near his eye in annoyance and Camille noticed it, for her smirk grew bigger. “Interesting… That’s a record for you. Would you mind elaborating?”

Magnus joined Camille and looked at Alec, who seemed to be hanging on the right side riggings of the ship. “Does it makes me a bad person if I wished that he would lose his grip and float away into space?” Camille raised her eyebrow at the harsh comment. “Well, it wouldn't work either way. The protection shield, remember?” 

Magnus replied airly, “Oh, I know, I just want to prove a point to him, maybe embarrass him enough to make him drop this whole exploit and abandon the ship at the nearest restock we make.” He shrugged; It was just a thought. 

“I see… Well, it would surely make it easier for us in the future, no?” Camille glanced at him sideways, the hint of a smirk resting on her lips as she pondered the possibilities.

“I thought we agreed to not carelessly speak about this out in the open, or have you forgotten?” Magnus’s voice was cold like ice, daring Camille to challenge him.

“Aye aye, captain,” Camille breathed just to annoy him, and Magnus sighed. At least she didn't try to argue with him.

“Why was he trailing you though?” Camille asked, gently probing Magnus for information.

“The captain has assigned him with lucky, lucky me. He’s the ship’s new cabin boy.” 

“Well, that could actually be useful!” Her voice was dripping with amusement. “You’ll have to keep an eye on him 24/7, and he won’t wander around and stick his beautiful nose into other people’s business.”

Magnus chose to ignore her beautiful comment. “Oh, don’t you worry. I plan to work him until he’s so tired, he won’t have the energy to think.” He smirked and Camille snorted, clearly not impressed with his plan. 

“Well, I can’t wait to see that, darling,” she purred. Then she turned with a flip of her hair and walked away to go below deck.

Magnus fought his oncoming eye roll, knowing that this would be just one of countless conversations with Camille. God, this is going to be tiring, he thought to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off an oncoming headache. 

Just then, the Chairman burst out from inside his coat. Magnus followed his flight and saw that the boy, regrettably, had come down safely from the riggings. The Chairman did a swirling dance around him, taking him by surprise, and he let out a laugh when the Chairman nuzzled his neck.

The traitor!

Magnus glared at them, and feeling the intensity of a heated gaze, Alec looked up from the Chairman in his hands and his eyes meet Magnus’s.

Alec shifted uncomfortably under Magnus’s harsh stare, and he dropped his gaze to the Chairman again, trying to seem unaffected. Magnus noted that he was rubbing the scuffed toe of one leather boot against the wooden deck, clearly nervous.

Magnus took the opportunity to look the young man up and down completely, and despite his frustration, there was no denying how beautiful he was. He was tall and thin with strong, broad shoulders. He had long arms and legs, but the limbs were graceful, not gangly, evident in the way he held himself upright. His cream-colored skin provided a lovely contrast with his jet-black hair, the raven strands falling across his forehead, and his strong jawline was marked with stubble. He was the perfect example of tall, dark, and handsome, and Magnus couldn’t help but let his eyes wander. Just this once.

Then tall, dark, and handsome smiled down at the Chairman. It was a beautiful smile, one that curved his cheeks and made his bright hazel eyes crinkle at the corners, his cheerfulness spreading across his features like a warm light.

DAMN HIM TO THE MILKY WAY AND BACK! Magnus roared to himself in his head, fighting the faint blush that was rising in his cheeks. He clenched his fists and forced himself to settle, feeling the need to get back in control.

Magnus picked up a few things from his side of the ship and marched over to Alec, who snapped his head up at the noise of boots striking the wooden deck. “Lightwood! I have some new friends I want you to meet.” He gave a toothy smile, and Alec searched around Magnus, a hopeful sparkle in his eyes.

“Meet Mr. Mop and Mrs. Bucket!” Magnus threw each object at Alec, who caught them with a start, “Wha-” then glared daggers at Magnus. “Wow, very funny,” he growled, irritation clear in his face.

Magnus grinned at his displeasure and said, “I expect this deck to be spotless by the end of the day! Come along, Chairman.” The Chairman hovered for a few moments before quickly following his master. 

Magnus could feel Alec’s glare on the back of his head as he made his way to the back of the ship, and he couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to himself. 

 

-5 DAYS LATER: ABOARD THE R.L.S. LEGACY -

Alec woke up to the steady rise of voices and activities around him, just like he had every morning in the past week.

He sighed and swung himself down from the hammock. He wasn’t overly enthusiastic about the new day at all. If he was being honest, he was thoroughly dreading it because the quartermaster had taken it upon himself to make Alec’s stay aboard the ship a living hell.

Alec wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of appearing as miserable as he was feeling.

Alec was used to work, being raised in the family inn, but the type of work Magnus was giving him was annoying. It was either so easy that it appeared to be for mocking purposes or so unnecessary when everything was actually in order. Alec suspected that Magnus was using a take-it-down-to-pieces-and-put-it-back-together-to-know-how-it-works type of method with him… Apparently that was just Magnus’s twisted sense of humor.

But Alec wasn’t backing down.

He dressed himself in breezy clothes: A thin, black cotton shirt with short sleeves and lightweight trousers, since the weather was warm. He tugged on his sturdy leather boots and climbed the stairs to the main deck, knowing that breakfast wouldn’t be served for a few hours. Old Randall took his time cooking their meals, and they were dreadful despite their long preparation time.

Alec took a deep, slow inhale, and sighed it out while looking upwards and grinning. The ship had moved position, leaving the darkness that had surrounded them the entirety of yesterday behind. The almost suffocating darkness had been nearly empty of stars, but now, millions of stars surrounded them. The sky was so colorful, it was almost festive, and it lifted Alec's spirits.

Alec rolled his shoulders and neck and set about what was becoming his morning routine: Checking the deck for anything he could do, checking the riggings with the rest of the crew, and reporting anything that looked out of place. His tasks weren't really necessary but he felt the need to do them in order to show how dedicated he was to the ship and his fellow crew mates.

When it was time for breakfast, he went down to the gallery with the rest of the crew. He had glimpsed Magnus a couple of times that morning but he hadn’t called him over or given him any specific orders, and Alec was very content with that. He really needed some time off from the quartermaster and his endless tasks.

He got in line to get his food when Randall called out to the crowd. “Hey, someone still hasn’t taken Professor Fell’s breakfast up to his cabin!”

Seeing his opportunity, Alec jumped out of the food line, quickly saying, “I’ll do it! I’ll take it up to him.”

Randall squinted at him then grunted, handing him the tray, and Alec grabbed a few more plates for himself when Randall turned around to deal with the other crew members. He wanted to eat up with Ragnor away from everyone here, and away from Magnus. The quartermaster was not about to ruin his day, at least not yet.

Alec held the tray high with one hand experimentally as he dodged the line of crew members and hurried up the stars onto the main deck, securing the tray to his chest before knocking on Ragnor’s cabin door.

“Come on in,” came the grumpy voice muffled behind the door.

“I thought you’d welcome me a little more enthusiastically!” Alec replied while opening the door with a grin. He hadn’t seen Ragnor much during the past few days, thanks to a certain someone, and he had missed the professor a great deal.

Ragnor’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared beneath his white fringes of hair. “Oh, Alexander! What a surprise!” He smirked when Alec gave him a look at the name. “How’s the adventurer life suiting you?”

Ragnor moved the books away from his desk as Alec placed the tray down on it and snorted. “Oh please, we’re merely on the way there… Besides, your dear friend appears to be an expert at sucking the happiness out of everything.”

“Nonsense!” Ragnor waved a hand as he picked up his beloved pale green teacup, which he had insisted on bringing. “Magnus is the very definition of fun, and believe me, it’s actually tiresome how carefree he can be.” Ragnor rolled his eyes at Alec’s doubtful look and continued. “Honestly, I think he’s just stressed about this particular journey, you know.”

Alec turned this over in his head as he took a sip of his tasteless coffee. After all, this was not your everyday exploit, but still…

“Because it’s an unknown planet?” Alec asked before he took a bite of what he guessed were scrambled eggs. The food was just as tasteless as the coffee, and it was at these times that Alec missed the Lightwood Inn and its food so much.

“Yes, and the scale and importance for it. It took us all by surprise, to be honest.” Ragnor shrugged. “Not that I’m ungrateful about it or anything, but just give him a few days. He’ll probably take a week or so to relax and ease into this.”

Alec nodded, but mostly for Ragnor’s sake. The professor looked concerned for his old friend, but Alec was sure Magnus’s difficult behavior wouldn’t go away that quickly.

At his nod Ragnor cleared his throat. “Anyhow, there is this incredible nebula that we will pass by…”

They spent the rest of their breakfast talking about space and the things they’ll observe- If Magnus gave Alec room to breathe- And about the ship and its crew. It was a relaxed, enjoyable time, and Alec regretted walking out of the cabin with the tray and returning to the kitchen an hour later.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day was uneventful. Magnus told him to work on re-securing and checking the riggings, which was a ridiculous and empty task, but Alec was not going to break, so he went about proving yet again that he had come to learn about everything and help in any way he could.

Later that evening, Alec was helping two crew members check the solar power transfer pipes and wires. It was just a routine check, to see the how sturdy the wires were and making sure everything was working properly, when Magnus’s voice came calling.

“Lightwood, come here!”

Alec gritted his teeth, irritated but a little bit interested in what he was doing. He didn’t want to move, but as much as he disliked Magnus, he couldn’t ignore him. Oh, how badly he wanted to.

He turned around and went to Magnus, who was looking at Alec impatiently.

“Lightwood, for the rest of the evening, you’ll be helping Randall make dinner.” 

Alec blinked slowly, not entirely sure he had heard the quartermaster correctly. Usually the evenings were calm times with nothing to be done, so Alec had spent most of his free time sketching or reading or strolling the deck. But now… Spending the whole time with Randall… 

“But… I’m not sure that Randall wants any help cooking-”

“It’s not about what he wants. He needs serious help down there, I can taste it in every meal.” Magnus actually shuddered slightly at his words, no doubt reminiscing about the horrid breakfast earlier that morning.

Alec knew the feeling.

“But then you must know that he doesn't let-”

“Deal with it, farm boy.” Magnus dismissed him with a wave of his hand, then called some of the crew members to him, completely ignoring Alec again.

Alec huffed in annoyance but held his head up high. Oh, he’ll deal with it, alright. Determined to prove himself not only to Magnus but to the rest of the crew, he marched down the steps to the gallery to help Old Randall with his so-called cooking.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a disaster.

Randall didn’t take it well when he saw Alec standing there, bringing the news that he had been assigned to “help.” Randall cursed and muttered about how he didn’t need help from anyone, and that he has been working as a cook for 20 years! And he simply couldn’t believe how insulting this was for him… He ranted on in a similar manner for some time, although Alec stopped listening after the first few minutes.

Alec came to a sudden realization that Randall believed he was to be replaced by Alec. As for how he had come to that bizarre conclusion, Alec had no idea.

Nonetheless, Alec praised Randall and told him that he was a very valued crew member, and assured him that he was not nearly as talented at cooking. It was very painful to say that, and although it calmed the old cook down a bit, he was still grumbling under his breath as he reluctantly let Alec work around the kitchen with him.

It was horrifying to be there and to see how Randall put the most random things in the stew pot over the fire. Alec quickly became determined to save the food in order to prevent the whole crew from getting poisoned.

Farm boy or not, living in an inn his whole life truly proved useful for the task at hand.

Everytime Randall turned away from the pot to cut something or other, Alec would taste a quick spoonful and try hard not to gag while adding spices and whatever he saw fit to make this thing edible.

At first, Randall thought it was him that had improved the stew by the random ingredients, but as it started to taste better and better, he cast suspicious looks at Alec. These looks soon turned terrified as he realized his job could truly be in danger, and that this farm boy might just be a good cook.

Alec quickly went to taste it and put Randall at ease again by saying, “Wow, Randall! You’ve outdone yourself this time! It’s delicious!” He turned to smile at the old cook, trying to convince him that he wanted nothing to do with cooking or taking credit whatsoever… Even if he was pretty damn good at it.

Randall relaxed at Alec’s words of praise, but he was still giving him suspicious looks when the crew gathered in the gallery for dinner. The two filled bowls and handed them out to the unenthusiastically lined up crew, who took their food with an accusing and untrusting look to the chefs.

Alec saw the look of surprise on their faces as they sat down and ate it; Their heads snapped up to look at the kitchen, actually noticing the farm boy for the first time. Alec couldn’t help but grin when he thought he saw one of them wiping away tears of gratitude.

Alec nodded to their silent thanks and tried to hold back his laugh as Randall was oblivious to all the praise and thanks his young helper was receiving.

Well, this is a start, Alec thought to himself with a satisfied nod.

The dishwasher came out of the kitchen to collect the bowls from the leader table, which consisted of Captain Loss, Raphael, and Ragnor. Alec craned his neck to look around the rest of the lined-up crew and saw Magnus sitting with Camille and Mr. Hands at the next table, talking intensely in hushed voices. Magnus’s gaze suddenly snapped up to Alec and their eyes met briefly, sparkling hazel meeting smoldering brown. After a few moments, Magnus lowered his eyes as he murmured a few words, and their conversation stopped abruptly. 

Alec frowned slightly, unsure of what the topic of their conversation had been, and why it was so secretive. His thoughts were abruptly cut off by the grumbling but happy crew members asking for more food.

Alec didn’t have time to catch Magnus’s gaze again, but he was fortunate enough to cast a quick look and glimpsed the quartermaster’s look of surprise at his food, which made Alec feel very smug for the rest of the night.

Alec ate his share and drinks were soon being handed over and passed around the crew. He retreated to a corner in the gallery, holding his mug and watching the crew, who were talking and laughing loudly.

He looked at the far end of the gallery near the stairs and saw that Magnus was still sitting at the table, looking rather annoyed and slightly angry at whatever Camille was telling him.

Seeing the quartermaster that way made Alec almost start to believe what Ragnor had told him earlier. Maybe it was just stress or discomfort, but Alec couldn’t push away the nagging feeling that there was something else, something more sinister lurking in the shadows of Magnus’s past.

Magnus’s warm brown eyes fell on him again, and Alec froze as their eyes locked. He stood there unmoving, hoping that the quartermaster would look away, but Magnus’s gaze didn’t waver. His brows pinched together a bit like he was trying to make sense of something. It felt like an eternity, but it was only mere seconds before a sound caught Alec’s attention, and he quickly turned to look at what caused it.

The crew were huddled together in the middle of the gallery, and Alec realized with a start that they were singing sea shanties! Alec had heard a great number of these sea songs from travelling sailors who stayed at the inn, and he had often sang them for his siblings as they all did their chores.

Only he wasn’t familiar with this one at all.

It was delivered in a haunting manner, one sailor singing the first line and the rest of the crew singing the second.

There is a devil in the shadows, with slit-pupiled eyes,  
Run for your life boys, run for your life.

Goosebumps covered Alec’s skin, and he shivered as a sudden chill went down his spine. Asmodeus, he realized, recognizing the iconic description of the late pirate.

There will be ten blazing cannons and darkened skies,  
Run for your life boys, run for your life.

He can smell your fear and he can sense your dread,  
Run for your life boys, run for your life.

Inside your twisted head you struggle, trying to run and flee  
Run for your life boys, run for your life.

Yet there they both are, glaring with scorching eyes  
Run for your life boys, run for your life

Raining fire and burning hell, upon you they bring pain stabbing like a knife,  
Run for your life boys, run for your life

Alec stood frozen as he gazed at the crew, who were holding candles that cast flickering shadows across the gallery. The one singing was draped in a dark robe, giving him a spectral appearance that resembled death. He wasn’t sure if that was the intended purpose, but it was captivating in an eerie way, and Alec couldn’t help but be drawn in and become lost in the story.

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to catch Magnus's long, leather-clad legs disappearing up the stairs leading to the main deck.

There was something heavy about the way he had carried himself, like a sudden burden had descended on his broad shoulders, and Alec was surprised he had noticed such a thing… But perhaps he had been paying careful attention to the angry quartermaster all along. Whether it had been a conscious decision or not, Alec had been drawn to Magnus from the start, and as a result, had picked up on the small indicators that told him what kind of mood Magnus was in. Right now, watching Magnus trudge up the stairs as fast as possible, it looked like he wanted to be anywhere in the galaxy but with the crew, the sea shanty still echoing through the gallery as he left.

Up on the main deck, Magnus made his way to the railings and propped his arms up on his hands. He hung his head low as his shoulders started to shake, rings snagging as his fingers buried into his hair. He was furious when his eyes started to dampen with tears, and he cleared his throat loudly to rid himself of the lump forming in it. He refused to let himself break down and cry, knowing it would be pointless and a sure sign of weakness. If there was one thing that he had proved to himself and the world over all his years, it was that Magnus Bane was not weak.

But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how far he traveled across the galaxy, his past always came back to haunt him. Names, events, places; All manner of things popping up into his life, each one like a starting domino that sent the collected pieces of his fragmented life toppling over again one by one.

He could never escape his legacy. 

Magnus had left the gallery but the song still floated up the stairs and reached his ears, the final lines hanging in the air like a poisonous fog. 

You run and you run but there is nowhere to hide,  
For the devil and his spawn shall leave none behind.


End file.
